The Paul Yan Chronicles

The Whole Of The Moon

2012-01-26T03:54:00.000-08:00

dedicated to a fraternity brod who first shared this song with me three weeks ago.

you stretched for the stars
and you know how it feels
to reach too high
too far
too soon
you saw the whole of the moon
from: the whole of the moon, by the Waterboys

2012 started out with anticipation, like all Januaries do. The year also started with three times the usual number of people wanting to sound me out on a range of things. That has been the norm as far back as I can remember. The significance of the sheer number of consults over the years was lost to me perhaps because I had gotten used to it already. Until I heard this song. And then it hit me.

I started going through the recent consults and most of it was about over-reaching, or over-reacting. And here I was, telling them the outcome of their actions far far beyond what they could see. Or conversely, I would realign their proposed actions if I knew that the backlash would be so intense, possibly even life-changing, should it proceed unaltered. Then I would keep quiet and wait for things to unfold.

Although through the years the theme would mostly be the same, what changes would be the situations they find themselves in. Work. Career. Family. Friends. Relationships. And although my advice is rarely followed, or followed to the letter, the outcome is almost always as predicted. And I end up with the pleasure of using my favorite line. "I Told You So".

And inevitably another consult begins again.

Seeing the whole of the moon is easier if you move back a bit. Anyone immersed in a situation will usually be so busy looking at all the details to ever see the big picture. And that applies to everyone.

Now, where do I find someone who can see the whole of the moon for me?

Jesus Paul C. Yan
for The Paul Yan Chronicles

site updates

2012-01-22T02:46:00.000-08:00

It has been a long four months since my last post.

If you are among those who visit regularly, you will have probably chanced upon a message splashed across your screen that the blog "is not available" anymore. This was an offshoot of what was probably a brute-force attack. And although I still cannot fathom why anyone would want to break into my blog, I, along with some hard-core followers, were shaken by the incident.

The Paul Yan Chronicles, my blog, has been my preferred forum to talk out loud about the things and situations that have in some way affected me. My blog has no target audience except myself; for me to occasionally hear my brain talk (or write) in a medium that others can peep into, should they wish to try to get to know me deeper. What would someone get for hacking in to a well-viewed but personal site? I still cannot comprehend.

The site has since been restored.

Perhaps I should again start writing. there is such a thing as inertia of the mind.

To everyone, most especially the people I do not personally know, and those who insist on maintaining their anonymity by just regularly browsing but not posting, I thank you. The number of hits you regularly give my non-commercial site has been flattering. But as I am a social animal that thrives on your comments, please please make it a point to leave one behind, each time you pass by. so that even if we will never ever meet, i will know that you passed by, simply by looking at the flower petals you left behind.

Jesus Paul C. Yan
for The Paul Yan Chronicles

From Earl Klugh to Depapepe in 25 Years

2011-09-20T06:54:00.000-07:00

this was something i wrote 2 years ago, after ending my term as Editor-In-Chief of the Xavier Alumni Times. It was written for private publication in the XAT but I never knew if it was ever published at all. So, for the benefit of the people I mentioned in this article...

The Paul Yan Chronicles

FROM EARL KLUGH TO DEPAPEPE IN 25 YEARS

Having had the opportunity to teach photography in Xavier last year, I was half-expecting that there would be as few musicians now as there were 25 years ago, but I was told that I was in for a surprise. In the span of one generation, the musical aptitude of Xavierians has grown exponentially.

I first learned to play the guitar in grade 6, during a 4-day bout with chicken pox. Needing to entertain myself, I picked up my brother's Cebu-made guitar along with a battered copy of Jingle magazine and proceeded to teach myself the three simplest chords: D, G, and A. Within the day, I already was playing my first three-chord song, which didn't sound anything close to how it was supposed to, but I was so blown away at what I had achieved. Incidentally, that song was “Let your love flow” by the Bellamy Brothers, which was a big hit in 1977 and was used as the music bed of the popular Levi's commercial.

Being the third guitar player in the batch as we were stepping into high school made me quite popular with everyone else who couldn't play, but wanted a musical experience nonetheless. In a short span of time, I learned to play the songs of James Taylor, Jim Croce, Florante, and the ever-popular Mike Hanopol and the Juan Dela Cruz band. This was the music of the late '70s, and I was playing them for my batchmates!

Within the school year, I witnessed a powerful instrumental performance by Neil Huab and Norman Sese, both from batch 82. They played a guitar duet arrangement of Earl Klugh's version of “Dance with me” and Antonio Carlos Jobim's “Wave”. Since it was my first time to watch a guitar performance, I was mesmerized at how they transformed the guitar from providing basic accompaniment to a completely melodic instrument. In an instant, my musical horizon shifted. Soon afterwards, I bought a cassette of “Finger Paintings” by Earl Klugh, and borrowed “The Composer of 'Desafinado', Plays” by Jobim.

I eagerly anticipated the annual songfest, not because I wanted to compete, but because I heard that Neil and Norman were both entered in the Guitar category, not as a team, but as individual competitors!
For me, this was wonderful opportunity to watch two of the best instrumental guitar players from my generation. Half-expecting a battle royale, I was caught by surprise when they both played the same piece, Burt Bacharach's “April Fools”, as arranged by Earl Klugh. Both performances were technically flawless. Both were tremendously expressive. How did the judges score it? Both were given identical first place awards!

I walked away from that songfest feeling as if I was part of their shared victory. But musicians, just like other artists, are like that. That was the last time I saw them play, as I moved to another school shortly thereafter. But their music had already made an indelible mark on me.

I carry a copy of Earl Klugh's version of April Fools with me to remind me of that moment.

Now, I recently had the opportunity of teaching in Xavier to mark the 25th anniversary of my batch. Half-expecting things to be similar to how it was when we were walking through those same corridors, I inquired about the guitar skills of Xavier students and was told that things have changed considerably since my batch graduated in 1983. Now, each class has more than enough musicians to put up their own band! “And did I tell you, 'cher, that we write our own songs now?” said Xavier Francis Su, a student from the first batch of The Paul Yan Experience photography course, and my main reference for this article. Incidentally, Xavier Su belongs to the graduating batch of 2010, and is the son of Fulton Su from the Dragons of batch '72.

After recovering my composure from the shock of Xavier's revelations, I asked what sort of music they listen to now. As it turns out, 1970's rock is still very much the “in” thing today. Perhaps because everyone else from their generation listens to “current” music, they prefer to listen to older music to set them apart. Incidentally, '70s rock is now called 'classic' rock. One of their so-called 'anthems' is “thunderstruck”, which I picked up from Avi Hemandas, also from the batch of 2010. I only got a perspective of how popular “thunderstruck” still is today when I heard it being played as Manny Pacquiao made his entrance during his fight with Hatton. But enough of classic rock.

“Is there anything current that is popular with Xavierians today?” I asked Xavier Su. He ponders for a moment and tells me about a Japanese instrumental guitar duo whose music is currently enjoying cult following in school.

“Have you heard about 'Depapepe'?” he asked.

“Depa what??” I answered, with images of anime and manga in my mind.

“Its a Japanese band, with just two guys, both playing acoustic guitar”. “Thats what my band plays right now. Music from Depapepe”. And he makes me listen to a tune. “Their band is named because one guy has an overbite”. I laugh, remembering how odd the reasons for a band's name actually are. “Red, simply Red!!” as it was shouted over the phone to the promoter on the other side of the country who inquired about the name of the band they were featuring. “Dr. Hook”, as a result of wearing an eye patch for an infection during their first few gigs. Or broadcasters asking which one from the band is “Hootie” from the Blowfish. Some of the bands I managed in my younger days also had names which came from left field, such as “Manang Damo”, “Mortal Yell”, “35-EC', “Praxis” and “Shanghaied”. Somehow I think that Depapepe probably has a private joke in there somewhere as well.

My next logical question was about this band he plays with. It turns out that they play mostly instrumentals, and mainly Depapepe music. His bandmates are from batch 2009, and they also currently have 2 understudies from batch 2011, in anticipation of graduation issues. “Would you like to meet them?' Xavier asks me. I agree and we look for them around the new high school building. We bump into 2 of them, Avery Wong & Ian Go, and they bring out their beautiful Lumanog guitars. They hit the opening chords of “Hi D” and instantly I was mesmerized all over again. Although Depapepe music is quite fast and complicated compared to the simple and slow melodic style of Earl Klugh, this was still guitar music and that thought alone brought back memories of the lecture hall from a quarter of a century ago. I offer to photograph them for their “album cover” and they both agree. I try to conjure up something in the scale of the visually iconic, and I pull it off. The images have preserved the moment of our first encounter. They walk away with smiles on their faces, not too sure about how the final image will turn out. I walk away knowing full well that I have bumped into another set of musical prodigies.

And while everything else may have changed in Xavier, the love for music, apparently, is still the same.

Jesus Paul C. Yan
for The Paul Yan Chronicles

The Pain of a Word Called Solitude (rated PG-18)

2011-09-06T17:12:00.000-07:00

We are social creatures after all.

I am not an exception.
Through the years, I have learned to crawl into an emotional cubbyhole when everyone else has left.

I have learned to be in solitude, even when in the midst of a crowd.

Being in solitude meant that I could reserve my innermost feelings to be shared with the one person I cared to be with. To be open to only one person; and not to share that intensity with anyone else.

Occasionally it backfires.

Occasionally you realize there is no one else in the cubbyhole with you. And then you realize that the pain of solitude is unlike no other. And that there is no one else to share your pain with.

There is no positive note here.

All I know is that the light at the end of the tunnel just got a little closer.

Jesus Paul C. Yan
for The Paul Yan Chronicles

haven't written a ghost story in a while (work in progress, visible mode)

2011-07-27T05:20:00.000-07:00

You are aware that I was born in New Manila, right? Yep, virtually one hundred meters away from the infamous Balete Drive.

The Prodigies I Have Come Across

2011-07-27T05:18:00.000-07:00

Three people come to mind right away.

Matt Sia was never formally a student. But he sought me out after classes each week for an entire semester. Of the three, Matt for me was the most gifted, photographically.

When I first met him, he was a lanky teenager, kinda unsure of how to go about interacting with his peers. I notice that it is a common thing among young prodigies. But Matt had a handle. Everyone knew how good he was with photography. That somehow made interacting a little less difficult for him.

His first questions delved mostly on equipment choices; the kind that I get from people who had money to burn and needed advise about what equipment to display. But then I realized that Matt was sincerely asking about the best equipment and optics because he was already at the point where it would start to matter. I took pains to go through specific equipment test results with him, discussing areas of strengths and weaknesses, while addressing his point of view. We would spend an hour after class, over bites of chili footlong hotdogs, discussing equipment. I realize that beyond the equipment knowledge, I needed to give him a better motivation to shoot. Which I did. Aside from occasionally giving Matt access to better equipment, I also provided specific shoot opportunities to get him to hone his skills. Photography is a craft. And crafts needed to be practiced to keep the skills sharp.

I remember one such situation where I brought him with me on a fashion and headshots shoot. He actually came up with a better visualization than I did. Of course I should say I expected that, since I was building up a prodigy. Matt, I am talking about the shot in front of the semi-rusty green gate which I asked you to hold, in private, for half a year. if you still have it, please post it here.

Matt has the ability to make a livelihood from Photography. Parents would always prefer that their children should just continue running their family business. It will eventually be Matt's judgement call. My role in the equation was merely to provide the stabilizing element to calm down the emotions of prodigies. Matt calmed down enough to graduate from Xavier, and then move on to UST for college.

Timothy Ong came the year after.
Everybody also knew how gifted he was, photographically. Everybody called him TONG, attaching the T from his first name to his family name. Tong first blew me away when I had his class come up with a special concept christmas card for their plate. It was a collaborative effort with Alex Oh, who was also quite talented.

here is a sample Alex's Photo

Immediately I saw where Tong's skills lay. He had the ability to conceptualize visuals in much the same way we do it for advertising projects. Just to digress a bit... print advertising requires the marriage of the written word with strong visuals. Marriage, because the combination produces a communication material that should be much much stronger than the sum of the individual parts. I also took pains to bring him up to speed on photographic fundamentals as well as aesthetics, by offering both of them scholarships to several workshops I was doing at the Astoria Plaza. I also brought them along to a walking shoot of rustic Manila just to give them both a flavour of shooting real-world situations.

Tong is a typical teenager, but with goth streaks. A typical advertising guy will have goth streaks, but behaves like a teenager. So Tong seems like a natural. He will probably gravitate towards the noveau art scene soon.

Tong, if you still have the christmas card, please post it here.

Chris King came during my last semester. He was also the youngest, but most mature emotionally. He also was the only one among the three that did not own a decent camera. What he used in class was a beat-up Nokia N95.

As every "Paul Yan Experience" alumnus knows, the first plate is mandatory for everyone, and that is what you first ask for when you meet another alumnus. "How does your Coke plate look like?"

For the Xavier alumni, their coke plate will probably revolve around their computers, or their playthings; mostly photographed inside their rooms.

Chris's plate was photographed on top of a hill he just climbed, sky, grass, and the red can of coke. Uncluttered, open to so many interpretations, all positive and conquering. Lucky he had a Nokia N95, instead of my then uber-expensive Motorola Razor Executive series. The N95 focuses. The razor is focus-free. Now those two phrases will suddenly be a lot easier to understand.

Chris followed this up with his plate on lines, even capturing the motion trail of a moving vehicle. I asked "what camera this time?" and he answered, "the same N95..."

Chris, put up any photo of your choice.

Although I knew that he was already at that point where his skills can not go any further unless he moves on to a "real" camera, he takes his time and chooses to buy a mountain bike instead. I do not rush him. Talent takes time to mature. We have 1 hour conversations over the same foot-long chili hotdogs as Matt was now at University. We talk about life. And then out of the blue he says, "The Will of The Wind. Right?" referencing a blog post I did around that time. I look him strait in the eyes, and just nod. Silence.

Of the three, Chris is least likely to pursue a career in photography. For me, teaching Photography to Chris was to give him a steadying influence he will need to bank on, in a future world that he will find himself in.

I made sure Chris became a legend in front of his peers, by getting him to give my card to someone, in front of everyone. Chris will probably still hear the cheers and clapping everyone gave him. I also made sure Chris became a legend with the fellow non-Xavier PYE alumni when I elevated him to PYE Team status in Puerto Galera. What he does beyond that is totally up to him.

The Child I Never Had

2011-07-13T05:26:00.000-07:00

In the few conversations we have had about having a child, we felt that gender was of less importance to us, as we simply preferred a normal, healthy child.

If I had a choice, I would prefer a girl, over a boy. Young girls seem to be easier to control, at least superficially, than young boisterous boys. Emotionally, I know they will be opposite.

I would prefer my daughter to start fat. Cute fat, not obese fat. Probably until the age of 5 or 6. Early school age. She will probably have relatively long hair. At least shoulder-length, probably a touch longer than that. It will probably be curly, or at least have curls somewhere.

She will have large doe eyes. Expressive. Transparent windows to her soul. I do not know how she will have large eyes, considering I do not. She also does not. But large doe eyes will give her such a disarming look, from which no one is immune. From the direct-ascendant lolas who are all not around anymore,to the lateral lolas, and titas (aunties as we call them on our chinese side) and the adopted lolas and sisters, and best friends. Same thing with the non-existent lolos, to the lateral lolos and titos (uncles) and our other male friends. Once she flashes the doe eyes, she will get her toys, chocolates, osh koshes, little tykes and barbies.

upon reaching early school age, I will prefer that she picks up a sport. it doesn't matter which one exactly. so long as she enjoys it, and takes to it naturally. Sports has a way of steadying a person. It also provides early learning for handling failure, as well as reinforcing the corellation between success and hard work. And sports will help make her lose weight. Ok, make her lose the baby fat.

She will probably have above-average intelligence. At least I hope she does. Although genetics does not assure it, her gene pool will be just 2 or 3 points away from genius ranking.

I hope she does not become a wiseass. However, I have been made to understand that being a wiseass is a little more desirable than being a dumbshit. Eitherway, both will not sit well with me.

I hope she does not use her intellect to bully people. Or to put them down. Or to get ahead in line. She should use her intellect to help people build better lives. or at least discern about the quality of life she helps improve.

Here is the ticklish part. She will not hear anything from me about having to be first honor, all the time. I never was. She was. I will just want her to enjoy school, and the socialization it offers. She can save the studying for college, when I think it will start to matter. Hopefully, she takes post-graduate studies. I never did; She was summa cum laude status at her M.A. in Journalism. Academically, I have nothing to be proud of.

Here is another ticklish situation. How do I cope if she underachieves? Parents have that frustration. From the years that I have dealt with the children of prominent families, I have come to realize that their sons and daughters do not find their motivation from their parents anymore, but from role models they aspire to. Through me, and my role as a new force in their lives, I have helped mould children into something their parents will have assumed they should have developed into, on their own. I know that. I have seen that. I have done that, and it is well-documented. But how do I grapple with it as a parent; that my child will not see me as her source of motivation? If it happens, I hope she finds inspiration in another "teacher Paul". Hopefully, the new teacher paul will know how to rechannel it all.

I hope that she will have a heart as big as mine. she will probably not wish that. My heart has caused me both pleasure and pain. and not always in that order. I hope she takes her relationships as seriously as I did; regardless of whether it would end in pain or not. We, I, will be here, waiting to comfort her, each time it did. She will live, and love, and care, and dream, just like we did. Just like I did. Just like I do. Just like I am doing now.

But she is the child I never had.

My time has come and gone.

Jesus Paul C. Yan
for The Paul Yan Chronicles
(feedback welcome)

intermission number 5

2011-07-12T05:53:00.000-07:00

Few moments compare to a Manila Bay sunset. At least that was what we have heard virtually throughout our lifetime, most especially for Filipinos living in Manila.

As a professional photographer, I actually have had very few professional projects which specifically needed a Manila Bay sunset. The thing with it is that there is an island that lies smack in the middle of where the sun is supposed to set, at least for most parts of the year.

So, what do you do next? You partner with Prestige Cruises and arrange to have a yacht move you around the bay so you will eventually get a good vantage of the sunset! And while everyone is mesmerized by the sunset, I look out for special one-of-a-kind shots that no one else sees. Here is one such shot; photographed probably early 2010.

As usual, the photograph is displayed as photographed. No photoshop, no tweaks. Shown the way I saw the scene unfold.

If you like it, please post a comment. I am a sucker for feedback.

enjoy.

Jesus Paul C. Yan
for The Paul Yan Chronicles

Chubby, remembered.

2011-05-30T21:27:00.000-07:00

Chubby loved her treats. My wife and I used to kid around that Chubby would easily be the hands-down choice for endorser of Beggin Strips. All you had to do was to crush the foil packaging and she would run towards that sound, wherever she may be.

Once she had the treat, she would find a comfortable rug somewhere and then methodically start to work breaking up the beggin strip into smaller portions before starting to eat them.

A single strip will often take her about 90seconds, as she chews it quite thoroughly. the exceptions happen when she hasnt been given a treat in a week; as she will munch through the entire thing in 2 seconds.

On my wife's first trip to the U.S., Chubby, who knew her pack hierarchy very well, (#1 my wife; #2 chubby; #3 me) suddenly jumped on the bed. this was the first time ever that she did that; I took the picture to send to my wife. Either Chubby was conscious that she was temporarily in top position, or she just missed my wife very much that day.

I could not pull her down. I also was conscious about my pack position. if i pulled her down, she would surely lunge at me. and I make a huge, slow-moving target. hahaha. by the way, this was our new manila house. My wife had her own library and reading room, and I had my own darkroom and cigar area in the attic. occasionally i would have a four-legged visitor who would go up the flight of stairs to hide out with me there. unfortunately, going down the stairs was not her strong point, so she did not visit me that often.

this was at the foot of the stairs, which was chubby's daytime area whenever we weren't around.

chubby ate twice a day, and from the same bowl ever since we had her. her usual meal treats was either ground beef, or chicken. as you can see, she was having chicken that day, so it was a special day. we probably came from Savory the night before.

and this is how she looked halfway through her usual meal.

and this would be how she looked if you forgot to feed her. she would wait beside her bowl. too dignified to let you know.

chubby was also a cultured dog. she used her paws to handle her beggin strips whenever she can. and she chews discretely.

ok, not all the time.

while she would be eating, this is what i'd be eating. keep in mind i was alone for two months.

let me pause for now.

Chubby loved her herb garden. she has had several. way back in new manila, she loved munching on her ferns, but she had to reach across the koi pond, at the narrowest point. She occasionally would need roughage especially after a bout with indigestion. when we moved over to Wilson, I had to build a special herb garden for her, and my wife; not necessarily in that order. the most complicated one i did had basil, tarragon, rosemary, and dill. i planted those as a surprise to my wife when she studied at the French Culinary Institute in New York. I timed them to grow just as she was on her way back. Instead, I was surprised one morning when i saw chubby hovering at the herb garden. after her first taste of basil, she was hooked. hahaha. I think she decimated the herb garden in three days.

Since it took a while to set up a herb garden, if i didn't have one prepared when chubby gets a tummy ache, the fastest way to go is to pop in a handful of mung beans in water, overnight; then plant them the following morning. in two days, they grow to this size. the clay pig on the left was something we picked up in suan lum in thailand in 2005 i think. i handcarried it, not too sure if it would make the 4hour trip in one piece. it did. I originally intended it to be modified into a fountain tip for the koi pond, but never got around to buying the pumps.

occasionally, chubby would stand guard over her puny munggo herb garden, while looking at her kingdom from the balcony. The bamboo chimes were a gift, but i do not quite remember from whom exactly.

when she gets tired standing, she sits and watches the munggo grow. she is a very patient dog. patient, unless suddenly unterrupted by pack hierarchy animal number 3 (me). and she makes sure i notice that she was irritated by my distraction.

irritating chubby was something you wouldn't want to do. although she doesn't turn green, she somehow gets scary when you know she's got your number. she has actually been a very well tempered dog most of the time. with the operative word being "most". I, who takes the brunt of her intolerances, am occasionally fearful of her when she gets jealous of me. the few times she has snarled at me, it was mostly as a warning to back off; to give her space. I almost always did.

i remember when we moved to wilson. whenever she needed to use the toilet (she had her own, and I trained her to use it) which was in the other room and needed someone to wake up to open the door for her, she learned to growl in a very low register, and at a low volume so as it would not be enough to wake up my wife. if my wife woke, she would shout at chubby to stop it and just wait for morning. chubby knew who to wake up. hahaha. and she would "knock" on the door after finishing her business, so i would let her back in again. For some reason, if she woke me up, i knew she had to do her thing at that moment. shouting at her to stop it would only break her spirit. all it took for me was to wake up, open the door, and wait for her to come back.

id like to end this article with a black and white photograph of chubby, as she was staring out towards north east. i think this was taken a few months before she died. she would often look out towards that direction, perhaps conscious that both my wife and i would be in that direction. in her last two months, she often stared in that direction, waiting for her master to come home. you can sense her loneliness, perhaps even desolation, as she probably knew her time was coming up. perhaps she was waiting for her master to come home and be with her for the last time. Louie Aseoche, i vividly remember you telling me that Chubby lunging at my pulse when I assisted the doctors in putting chubby in the cage was "her way of telling me she did not want to die away from you, but perhaps in your arms". I must have really really irritated her sending her off to the hospital. I sent her off because I was hoping that her sickness/lack of appetite could be cured by the best doctors money can buy. She did not want to be sent off because she knew she only had 24 hours left to live; and she wanted the last 24 hours to be spent with someone who had needed to love her. I realized that because of what you said, Louie. I will always wear the watch i wore that day, when she bit me at my right pulse. it will always remind me that things are not always what they seem to be.

i badly miss you, baby.

Casablanca, revisited

2011-05-25T19:17:00.001-07:00

CASABLANCA, Revisited
They first met at MAXIM’S in Paris. She, a beautiful cover for the man she was with; working for the overthrow of the status quo. He, a man with a history that needed to be shaken off; working discretely with a man named Sam.

Often inebriated, he had promised to drown his sorrows in a land far far away, known only to the people who walk the dust-strewn paths in order to avoid the crowd. Sam, his foil, was the only one who knew his pain, swearing to never ever play the song which caused all the trouble in the first place.

From afar, she was visible in the crowd. As if a spotlight was aimed at her table, in an already bright room. His eyes strayed towards the bright. And then, in an instant, he knew that he had been found. She, with her bright glowing eye makeup which made you move your gaze toward her captivating eyes, was like a magnet; drawing his stare. He, never intending to be drawn again, was. And he blamed the eye make-up. And she swears she never had any on that day. Regardless, the situation was cast.

They only had 7 days before all hell would break loose. She had everything with her, and she had to get out in the next seven days. He intended to stay put; not intending to see the end of the year. They spend the first night together. She, inebriated but capable, pretending to be worse than she was. He, not too sober, but pretending to be. They spend the night, together, drinking Cardamon infused Turkish tea. Each one not too sure about each other. The sunrise was too far away. She only asked for one thing, that they both live in the moment. Nothing more. Sam was on vacation that day, and would make an appearance four days later.

He needed to check their way out of Cassablanca and a newly fitted vessel capable of holding up to a hundred passengers was the chosen ride. She needed to spend time away from her situation, not quite knowing what tomorrow would bring. She decides to spend time with her situation, regardless. Her time was moving fast. 5 days away.

She needed her two exit passes from him, not really telling him about who she intended to bring for the second pass. With each day, her decision would start to blur. He did not tell her that he had already decided to give her the two passes, intending to give her her second chance at happiness. He would stay behind and grapple with the german situation, but happy in the thought that she would be happy with the person she was with. They share a drink. Peach Schnappes. Sam walks by, not knowing she was there. She catches up to him and asks, “PLAY IT, SAM”. He hesitates, wide eyed, knowing how much pain that song meant to his boss. “PLAY THE GO**AMN SONG, SAM!” he shouts. Play it just once. It brings tears to their eyes. They spend the night together again, both asleep, holding hands. By now, they have spent four of the last five nights together, leaving only the last night left. He has the exit passes kept somewhere secure. She has no idea what she has to do to get them. She, who had asked that they live in the moment, was now not too sure about the moment. He, the hopeless romantic that never wanted the moment, was now sure about the moment. He was also sure that he would regret just being in the moment, but knew that going beyond that was way beyond what she had planned. He wanted, but knew she didn’t. She didn’t, but now wasn’t too sure. Especially after hearing Sam again, after all those years.

Her company arrives, chased by the german hounds. He provides a hidden passage where they make haste towards the last chance of safe departure. She promises to be with him, making up for lost time. He knows that the cause would be lost if she and her company would part ways because of him. The cause is too big to be overshadowed by petty relationships, he thinks; as he shoves the last two exit passes into her hands. “you know I love you, rick” she says, fully meaning all five syllables of it. He whispers “he needs you” as they move into their last rushed hug. The german comes in, threatening to arrest them all for treason. He pulls out a small revolver from his coat pocket and makes sure that never happens. He whispers one last time; “we’ll always have Paris.” and turns his back on them, as they board.

He never intended to see the end of the year. And now he wasn’t too sure anymore.

Jesus Paul C. Yan
For The Paul Yan Chronicles
Ps2, ana, I don’t know if it measures up to “death by heatstroke” ha…. I hope it did.
ps3, jerry, thank you for making this story possible.

Stranded in Galera. Lovin' Every Minute!

2011-05-10T04:07:00.000-07:00

Having been hit by a freak storm which nobody knew about (not even the bright boys of pagasa it seems) just as we were getting ready to come back home to Manila was certainly like a monkey wrench thrown into everyone's well-oiled Obsessive-Compulsive dictated schedule.

Each one having at least one meeting or situation scheduled on the day after coming back from Galera, we all were kinda jittery about not being able to make it to Manila on the original schedule. However, having also seen the road conditions (what road? oh, the cemented portion over the 50-foot hole after the two landslide areas?")the day before, everyone thought that the road trip towards the ro-ro port was more dangerous especially right after a direct hit by a storm. So we all counted the loose change we had left in our pockets, and dug in deep for an extra night. And what a night it was.

Galera, which is how people fondly refer to Puerto Galera, is populated by resort owners who seem to understand the plight of the stranded traveller. Something Galera has been known to do for the past 200 maybe 300 years, especially to boats and ships caught offguard by the occasional freak storm. They were very accomodating to guests who had to extend an extra night and even offered special discounts as if they wanted to let each one know that they were comiserating in their plight. Here is a short list of things, in no particular order, that a lonely stranded traveller may find entertaining or helpful, depending on their state of mind.

worst 3 things to run out of?
1) money
2) toothpaste
3) underwear

4) lighter / smokes
5) bottlecap opener
6) balut

worst 3 things to have in excess?
1) warm beer
2) fat-rich food
3) holes in the roof

4) sexy ladies you cannot / should not make friends with
5) cougars who want to make friends with you

3 highly recommended activities during a Galera storm
1) photograph the waves with a non-waterproof camera while holding an umbrella
2) challenge a German or Russian to a beer or a vodka session
3) challenge a Candelarian to a three-hour game of Dama

4) engage in a serious binge drinking wine sniffing session at the Aninuan Sunset resort
5) bet on the ultimate billiards game between contenders Uly & Jeff
6) binge on Seafood Pizza, pancit canton, and margaritas

worst place to give your camera a dunking
1) Tamaraw falls
2) the rocks between white beach and aninuan
3) the pool at aninuan. bad for cellphones also.

best place to dive after dunking your camera
1) Tamaraw falls. you get a sympathy hug from the models while everyone records the moment.

best things on the menu in Tamaraw restaurant
1) Tamaraw rice.
2) Poached eggs.
3) Chicken curry.

in Aninuan restaurant
1) Tinolang Manok
2) Crepes and Ice Cream
3) 2003 Listel Merlot

most appreciated non-photographic device
1) music player
2) roxy & Jeff's portable wifi broadband
3) Camara Estates cigars & Marlboro black menthols
4) hot-water showers

(to be continued from lucban, quezon)

The Galera Project, update

2011-05-04T04:29:00.000-07:00

it is less than 48 hours away.

Three months ago, it was just a plan. a fallback from the Thailand workshop that went bust when nobody took care of it. Today the Galera Project is virtually all set, with all the loose ends taken cared of late this afternoon.

expect the smoothest ride from Greenhills to Batangas City thanks to Jeffrey Yan, who took care of the chartered vans, with brand new vehicles. try to pack light on your diving equipment, so you'll have room leftover for your brand new 70-200 f2.8 lens. Yes, Ian Sayson, it will really be a perfect match for the shoot. John Garcia will also be breaking in his new 85mm f1.8, while Sandy Villagracia will put her new flash unit and gary fong diffuser through its paces. Close friend Aris & Cedric Dungo, also both diving enthusiasts, will be joining the location workshops for the first time. They have been private students since 2007. I hope Aris brings along a good cigar, as my Camara Estates brand might not be ready by tomorrow. The cigar labels have encountered a courier problem which i hope will be resolved by tomorrow morning. TJ Tan, fresh from another international trip, will also be joining the location workshops for the first time. He is from the Astoria Plaza Sessions, organized through the efforts of Ulysses Chua, who has handled all our booking requirements. Up until a few days ago, Roxanne San Agustin was very seriously eyeing the Olympus Pen as a lighter alternative to her backpack-full equipment. I told her if she gets the olympus, her back problems will virtually be gone in an instant. Potpot Pinili will have his sights on the glamour landscapes, while Maja Riveral will have his hands full digesting his first one-on-one location tutorial with me. My student from Xavier, Chris King, will also be joining, along with his dad. Chris is one of the 3 people from xavier who i actually feel are exceptionally talented when it comes to photography. Chris will also be assisting me on the shoot, so he has clearance to come within 1 meter of our models. That is non-transferable, gentlemen.

See you in 40 hours.

Jesus Paul C. Yan
for the paul yan chronicles

ps1 my team will have a total of 7 members, including 3 models, a technical assist, and an art director.
ps2 breakfast will not be served. if you wake up early, go and get some for everyone. :)

Aninuan Sunsets

2011-04-19T20:43:00.001-07:00

Aninuan Sunset Beach Resort
It is easy to end up being Jaded about Puerto Galera; especially after what Ron and I went through during our formal ocular inspection yesterday. It really was an adventure based on a series of unfortunate events which we never had any control over. But in our quest to find exotic destinations within popular locations for our workshops, we occasionally end up “in a pickle” most especially during the first visit. Yesterday was one such occasion. But that is neither here nor there.
Aninuan sits on a more secluded section of the shoreline 270 degrees and about 700 meters away from white beach. Officially, the beach where Aninuan is located is called tamaraw beach.
The secret to Aninuan’s seclusion is actually a 200-meter section of boulders separating white beach from tamaraw beach, which to a Manilenyo like myself, is virtually an unpassable fortress. To locals, it is a mere 5 minute bunny hop. It took the better part of 20 minutes for me to negotiate the rocky outcrop, even having to figuratively crawl over certain sections just so I don’t run the risk of slipping; which to weak-kneed people is a very realistic possibility.
Aninuan is run hands-on by Lexi, a very pleasant and intelligent woman with a very good feel for marketing. She had really intended her resort to stand out without being loud about it, which is how Europeans and I like it. Think The Tides Hotel in Boracay, or Badian Island off Cebu.
Aninuan has just completed its new wing, which includes rooms having both sunrise and sunset views; a baby infinity pool; and a wet bar area. The wet bar alone is reason enough for us to hold the workshop there! Hahaha. The rooms are fairly large and equipped much like Tides and Badian; meaning it has a 32inch LCD tv, a split type aircon, a hammock on the porch facing the sea, and European standard bathroom fixtures with glass enclosures. Each room also has its own 48x48 inch artwork. And by special arrangement with Lexi, some of those rooms will be made available to us. Buena Mano daw ang pinoy. Iba talaga ang Paul Yan Experience workshops. Word has gotten around.
In terms of shooting possibilities, the Galera Project will have two. The first venue being the small infinity pool with the sisters in swimsuits, and the second most probably a scenic shoot over at tamaraw falls. There is a third possibility. Lexi faintly mentioned that there was a small waterfall somewhere, and reachable by a 45-minute hike from the resort. Judging by the fact that she said locals only take 5 minutes to negotiate the rocky outcrop that took me close to twenty minutes, her 45-minute estimate might be closer to the distance between hyperventilation and a heart attack for people like me. I guess I’ll just wait for you at the wet bar, with a mojito and a cohiba. Lexi, pass me another pizza margherita please...
Remember, it is May 06-08.

Jesus Paul C. Yan
For The Paul Yan Chronicles

Eugenio Jose

2011-04-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

The process of simplification
The digital camera, the digital negative, and the digital print.

If you take away the repetitive word 'digital', you would be left with the title of what is undoubtedly the most popular handbook for serious photographers over the past 4 decades. This handbook is actually a compendium of 3 books of inter-related topics, but treated as 3 separate processes with the core idea that photography requires emphasis on all three, not just the camera. Taking away the word digital from the equation leaves you with an artist named Ansel Adams.

Ever since first becoming serious about photography in the early 70's, Eugenio Jose has understood that it was a craft, and that like all other crafts, it needed to be worked on, studied further, and then constantly practiced. He has, to his credit, perfected his own shooting, developing, and printing workflow by learning from those who developed the process, or from those who have studied and mastered it.

With the advent of digital technology, it was my own personal fear that traditional specialists & masters like Mr. Jose would be overwhelmed by it and just stick to the confines of their analog world, while we, the young upstarts, would embrace the digital camera like it was our twin brother. Instead, he has done us one better. Although it took him a while, he has now embraced the full spectrum of digital photographic technology; the digital camera & optics, digital post production & manipulation, and the digital print. His initial intention was merely exploratory; to see what it can do, versus what he used to do. But over the course of several years, he has come to the conclusion that technology can now overcome the previous limitations of analog. Images whose details were impossible to reproduce on print three decades ago can now be printed successfully using processes and technologies invented in this decade.

His monochrome images have always been known for having full tonal values and intensely rich detail. He remains true to form. Actually, his monochromes seem to have even more tonal values now, and the details are even richer. It is in his monochromes that you see his technical proficiency.

It is in his colored images where he allows himself more artistic interpretation.

The works he exhibits now escape any single definition or genre. In fact, it does not even capture a single time frame from his broad creative realm. What he exhibits now are smatterings of images that are personal favorites; preferring instead to share the personal on a scale he has not done before.

He is not an advocate of large prints, believing that “a good photograph, no matter how small, will still look good; while a bad photograph, when printed at huge magnifications, will only intensify its' mediocrity.” Quality does not improve with size.

If we go back to the title and take away 'digital', you will have Ansel Adams and the basics of the zone system. Put 'digital' back into the equation, and you now have Mr. Eugenio Jose, in his 21st century incarnation. Uncluttered, Interpretative, and In Full Living Color.

To master the craft, you also have to master the process. Which is exactly what Mr. Jose did, again.

Jesus Paul C. Yan
for The Paul Yan Chronicles

A selection of Mr. Jose's works are currently on public exhibit at the gallery of the Camera Club of the Philippines, Waltermart Makati.

MiniCooper

2011-04-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

MiniCooper

Saturdays have been my social interaction day for about 2 years running. I have met a lot of people, of all shades, sizes, and eccentricities. About seven months ago MiniCooper walked in. He was a calm and composed young man; thin by my standards (I was massively thin that time, minus at least 20 pounds from my usual). He introduced himself as a single father of four, and a builder by education. He was calm and at peace, at least at that point. By the following week, things had changed massively, as he became a bundle of nerves, unsure of what would come next. Seven days after our introduction, his four children were forcibly taken, by the other single parent, with the aid of firearms, with the intention of spiriting them out of the country. This is his story.

His romance started in school, just like most of us. Not needing to go into detail, he tells me that his girlfriend became pregnant just as he was about to graduate, and then they decided to marry. I interpret this decision to marry as coming after the fact, which is what most guys his age would do. I do not know if this interpretation would hold true for girls, who I also understand may intend to get pregnant so that marriage becomes an inevitable option; an option that will be reached regardless of discussion with the boyfriend, with the in-laws, with the parents. Getting pregnant is the first step to a way out of whatever situation they could not resolve. Regardless, they both intend to get married before the baby comes into this world.

MiniCooper knows his family will support his decision. He is unaware though that it will break his father’s heart. They fly to the girl’s family to settle in while he reviews for his board exam. In a week, his father is dead; broken by the suddenness of it all. Everyone attempts to move on.

He takes a teaching job. The baby arrives. He passes the board. The wife decides to take further education, intending to work outside the country. Baby number two comes. They move on.

In another two years, he had established himself in his chosen field, which was outside of what he was educated for. He had chosen to specialize in 3D rendering, instead of building, and had started to make a name for himself outside the country. Around that time, he moves back to Manila to take care of business, then flies to his family at least once every thirty days. He had found his road, and he was content. The wife had finished her further education and also wanted to find her road. For her, her road lay twelve time zones away. Or at least one time zone further from where she was at that point. Of course having a husband who had found his road in a place you didn’t think yours would be would be a source of conflict. But there was hardly any conflict, as she probably knew that outright resistance was futile. Baby number three comes.

He decides to bring his family to Manila. She learns all that she can about how to go seek her place in the sun. She applies for whatever needed to be applied for. Baby number four comes. Six weeks after, she gets approval from the host country and leaves immediately. This is the first time she is enthusiastic about anything. MiniCooper is left in Manila with four children, the youngest, six weeks old. He isn’t burdened at all; he has virtually taken care of all the children since day one, and this was a continuance of it all. He is bothered at the insistence of his wife to leave for work, especially since they already have a growing family. I think she feels that the Philippines was not where her future lay anymore. I think she had come to that realization a long time ago, but that she was overtaken by events. I think that when she got pregnant, she was not yet ready to settle down and become a mother. Life moves on.

In a year, the children had grown by a year. MiniCooper had taken care of them virtually singlehandedly (thank the Filipino extended family as well as the affordable labor force) and life was moving at a seemingly normal pace. She had also adjusted to her new environment well. The first of several returns was eagerly awaited by everyone.

Physical separation has its own share of problems that can only be understood by people who have had reasons to be physically separated. They were like everyone else in this regard as well. They grew apart, but in a way that was not pleasant to either one. MiniCooper opted for a separation, intending to raise the children on his own, as he had done so, virtually from the day they were born.

Physical separation also has its own share of peculiarities, some of which create urges only understood by people who have had reasons to be physically separated. A woman not yet prepared to settle down and be a mother in spite of the fact of four children may suddenly start to have her motherly instincts kick in. Perhaps realizing that her actions may have imperiled her access to the children, she acts in a way that only mothers who have had to recover their children may understand. She prepares the legal documentation in the fastest way she can, and at the most discrete manner so nobody would even notice something was already being done. All that remained was for her to get the children, which she did on the dawn of the second Saturday after I was introduced to MiniCooper. For the record, the firearms were used to dissuade any possible opposition from the people taking care of the children, but were never intended to cause any harm to anyone. Before the sun rose, MiniCooper was a single parent to children on their way to a land twelve timezones away from him, and without any means of contact.

By noon, during our second meeting, I had found out some bits and pieces of what happened. All I knew was that there was urgency to the situation, with a window of just a few hours more. Although I had the capacity to help immediately, with help that was appropriate to the situation, I decided to give the benefit of the doubt to the other person.

Apparently, by her actions, she is finally prepared to become a mother. I hope time proves her right.

Two weeks ago, I read something on a shirt worn by Manilyn and I think the words are appropriate here. “In the end, everything will be ok. If it’s not ok, then it’s not yet the end.”

Jesus Paul C. Yan
For The Paul Yan Chronicles
April 6, 2011 7:49am

Julia's Child

2011-03-05T10:03:00.000-08:00

Julia’s Child

Around a week ago, I came home and caught a movie on HBO titled Julie/Julia. And although I have heard about it, it was actually the first time that I saw the movie. Julie/Julia was the story of a private writer named Julie during the early days of blogging, who intended to go through a year of following the recipes of Julia Child, an icon and pioneer in introducing proper French cuisine into American households through cookbooks and eventually through television. As I caught the show around the 15th or 20th minute, I could not quite follow the “whys” of the story, or why Julie would choose to do this particular project, for an entire year, while virtually doing an “open diary” of her experience on a blog. Blog writers write without any clear reassurance as to the makeup of their audience, and are basically just airing out their mind, hoping that the waft reaches people who are similarly situated, sympathetic, or able to empathize with the writer’s flow of thought. Julie’s writing apparently touched a chord with a lot of people, and so the project became much bigger than her. I have also had a similar experience when I wrote about the passing of my beloved Chubby, receiving comments, posts, email, and text messages from people who had experienced pain in a similar way. And although everyone (and I mean everyone) who went through that blog post shed a tear (most spent the better part of an hour in that state) in the end we all felt collectively stronger from the shared experience. Incidentally, up to now, that blog post is still consistently registering the highest hit, with an audience base spanning three continents.

About two months after that, I received a series of “urgent” text messages from my team regarding a photo project they knew I absolutely had to know about. They chanced upon a message from a pet lover who wanted to have her baby’s 1st birthday party documented. And this is her story.

If it is alright with everyone, I shall hide her by the name of Julia, which is actually just one vowel away from her true name. Julia goes by with a two-name first name, and her second first name is an abbreviation of my mother’s name. Her baby’s name is Ashley, which I shall not hide anymore, because it is such a beautiful name for a baby. Ashley celebrated her 1st birthday sometime in October last year, and like most Filipino families now, got a party to celebrate it. (not that one-year-olds would actually be concerned with a birthday party….) Now, in anticipation of Ashley’s birthday, Julia wanted to get the best portrait photographer that money can buy so that she can gift Ashley with the most beautiful image possible. And so, through my diligent team, it came to my attention towards the end of the day. They showed me Julia’s private email message (to an email account in my name, but managed by my team) and they braced for what they knew was coming.

Julia, relatively newly married (perhaps two, maybe three years) to a guy she adored (and perhaps the only person she had loved) was learning that marriage reveals more about the character of your chosen one other than what you thought you already knew. She tells me how the word possessive took on another meaning when she would be left inside their lovenest, locked inside until her husband would come back. Actually, the word possessive came from me, from my inference of the action done. Julia was locked in and virtually alone until they had Ashley; but more on that in a while. A person in love will not usually see the strangeness of things, or events, that others normally would. In fact, people in relationships will not usually see the red flags until the ship has capsized. None of us would, if we were in Julia’s shoes. Eventually things came to a head and then one day Julia was told by her husband that “it was over.” She woke up to a letter with her name on it. He had sold everything they owned, and that she had to leave the following day. He had sold everything, including Ashley, their chow chow puppy. In the blink of an eye, the world had ended for Julia; ended by the man she had entrusted the rest of her life to. In the blink of an eye, Ashley, whom she had known as a daughter who entrusted her life to Julia, was suddenly also taken away; sold by her husband for reasons I do not know. In the blink of an eye, I felt all her pain. But more than the pain, I felt the sense of betrayal bit more strongly than any other feeling she, and now I, felt. The worst thing that can happen is not just to “lose everything”, but to have to “lose everything, alone”. Ashley was her emotional companion; the thing which made everything a little easier to bear. Losing everything was definitely made more terrible with losing Ashley as well.

Ashley was acquired by her husband fairly recently, from a family of show winners. Ashley, being the runt of the litter and possessing a disqualification or two, was always passed over by potential buyers. Her husband, on the lookout for something of value to possess, but not intending to pay the appropriate value, saw an opportunity in Ashley, at a bargain basement price. Julia only saw the child she longed for in Ashley, and to her nothing else mattered. For people who have had the opportunity to raise a chow chow from infancy, it is not uncommon to treat them as if they were their child; maybe the analogy would be made clearer if I said “as if they were raising an only child”. Ashley was Julia’s only child. With Ashley, life as Julia knew it then became more bearable each time she came home. Until that fateful moment when she woke to a letter bearing her name and crushing her world. In an instant she was crushed in exactly the way you would have been, had it been your name on the letter. Distraught at losing everything, but more distraught at the thought of permanently losing her child, Julia, through actions only a mother could muster, mobilized a network of friends who must have been the most resourceful bunch of people to help find to whom Ashley was sold. I understand it took three days to find her. Julia tells me of their reunion, and how Ashley gave her the longest three minutes of her life, barking, as if asking her how she could have let this happen the way it did. Ashley, her child, made Julia, the mother, feel the sense of betrayal she felt when she was taken away so suddenly. And after the longest three minutes of their lives, both mother and daughter reconnected with the promise to never let anything separate them again. Never.

In our private messages, Julia has told me that she had stood at the edge of her world several times already. I replied that at least when she was at the edge, she had Ashley there beside her. I said she was still lucky. Other people who also had stood at the edge, have had their Ashleys taken away right when they were staring at the abyss. I think Julia understood me when I said “I perfectly understood” how she felt.

Ashley’s birthday came and went, and things settled down. I desperately tried to recover her second email, which entailed hacking the email account set up by my team for me. I was so affected by her story (exactly like my team predicted I would be) because I knew that the grief I felt with Chubby’s passing would somehow be reduced if I knew that this other baby named Ashley would be able to nurture her mother back. And she has.

Julia had told me last week that “maybe it is time for you to get another chow”. She has been the only one to tell me that. I reply that I cannot afford another chow chow. I meant I do not think I can ever take the emotional grief of losing, once more. It would be too expensive emotionally, and I cannot, absolutely cannot handle that again.

It will not be accurate to simply say that Julia is a strong person, in the way that mass media portrays strong persons to always remain that way; strong, through all sorts of adversities. I will say instead that Julia has shown a massive amount of strength, in spite of all the adversities that life has thrown her way. She says that you have to go through life in anticipation that tomorrow will already bring an ounce of improvement, while preparing for that improvement right now. I do not adequately capture the words she used, but she had said it to me, in a way that made it mean a whole lot to me when she said it three days ago.

Julia is a kindred spirit; someone I understood right away because of commonalities I saw. In fact, one of the very first things I said to Julia was that “we had more things in common that what she thinks”.

Perhaps I should in turn understand that “Julia perfectly understands” me as well. Thank you for each day of strength you display. I just hope you are the first person to read this. Some day, I hope to eventually meet Ashley, so I can take the greatest portrait I have ever taken.

Jesus Paul C. Yan
For The Paul Yan Chronicles
01:25 am, March 6, 2011

Ps1 thank you to my PYE team, Sini & Manilyn, for spotting her advert and
starting this chain of events.
Ps2 Ashley, stop chewing the new curtains.
Ps3 chow chows are excellent companion dogs. Please do not buy them simply for
show; but because you are genuinely committed to taking care of them,
throughout their lives.
Ps4 If you are a chow owner, please post a small picture, or a link where we can
see your chow.

the following pictures of Ashley have been posted on behalf of Julia.

remembering Melchor Ong

2011-02-22T23:37:00.000-08:00

MELCHOR ONG

It was a Tuesday when I first met him. He came through the behest of my photographic mentor, Emil Davocol, to clean and recondition my second camera, a Rollei Twin Lens Reflex manufactured in the decade of my birth. He sat, in his white sports shirt, across from me, as he put on his large eyeglasses. Without saying a word, he took the Rollei with his right hand, and examined it up close. He turned it round and round, as if trying to figure out how to get the camera open. For the better part of the next two minutes, I stared at him pondering whether I should tell him how to get it done, or just wait until he figures it out on his own. After another thirty seconds, the suspense was getting to be unbearable for me. Is this the man so many people have vouched to be the best repair man in Asia? I was seriously beginning to have my doubts. By this time he was looking at the cover of the Franke & Heideck ground glass focusing screen. Not being able to contain myself anymore, I said, in the vernacular, “this is where you pull, to get it open” and proceeded to point out the focusing screen cover. I felt I had done him a service. I had owned that Rollei for over half a decade already and I knew how to get it open. Or at least I thought I did. Feeling as if a great insult was hurled upon him by this impertinent owner of a Rollei, Melchor glared at me as he brought the camera behind his head, and proceeded to dismantle it without even looking! Certainly not the best start to have with the man considered by many as the only remaining technical expert of Rollei, as well as the other top marquee brands Leica and Hasselblad. Humbled (and perhaps, shamed) by the turn of events, I forged a friendship with the man that has lasted a decade already.

In the days when Escolta, Avenida, and Rizal avenue was the heart of the city, Leica already had a significant presence in the Philippines, with a distribution chain as well as a service facility in the area. Melchor was the young (handsome, he claims) upstart blessed with a phenomenal understanding of optics and mechanical engineering. Aside from simply learning the process behind how a camera works and fails, he modified and eventually developed a better, less invasive repair and rehab approach.

Some of his rehab exploits I have seen for myself. On one sunny Sunday afternoon, he was working on a forty year old Hasselblad that had just received a death certificate from the official Hasselblad service center either in Hong Kong or Singapore. Parts for that specific model had already been discontinued and there was no way for it to be resuscitated anymore, according to the ‘Blad’ people; thus it made its way towards Melchor, the life-giving wizard. Taking it apart, he found the cause to be a broken gear, which was in the middle of the mechanical turning system. If he could get another gear as a replacement, the whole thing would come back to life. So, over the next three days, using proprietary tools made by himself, he fashioned a replacement gear out of a demonetized 10 centavo philippine coin and brought back the Hasselblad to life. Necessity really has been the moving reason behind invention. His exploits are in fact, legendary, according to the owners of the priceless cameras he has revived or resuscitated; the latter seems to be more apppropriate in the context of collectors and their significant mechanical other.

Now, having such talent in a single person will also spawn a certain degree of arrogance, as the owners of those priceless cameras who have found themselves fallen from his favor, know only too well. But such is the impertinence of genius.

Early in January, I paid him a visit, bringing three lenses, and a choice of five hand rolled cigars from Holland, the Dominican Republic, and the Philippines, for us to smoke while cleaning the optical glass of the lenses. He had been a cigarette smoker for about four decades already, and I wanted him to try cigars, which you didn’t have to inhale, just puff. He took the cigar, to keep as a souvenir. As he had just come out of another stroke six months prior, it became obvious that he wasn’t also in shape to clean the lenses I brought, and so we settled on our usual three-hour storytelling session. He brought out a wood laminated photograph of him, in his twenties, at the Leica headquarters, wearing a jacket emblazoned with a patch of the 100mph club. It was his riding jacket, he tells me, as he was recently inducted into the bike club. “To get in, you have to drive to a speed of 100 miles per hour, with a member backriding, just to look at your speedometer”. “And you had to hold your speed for a certain number of minutes!” says Melchor, as his face seemingly shows him reliving the moment. At this point, I whip up my cellphone camera, a decent 1.3megapixel fixed focus Motorola Razor V3i, and shoot an image. Not really knowing why, I simply knew that I had to preserve the moment. That was my role. Digressing for a moment, I feel compelled to answer the question popping in your head right now. Why didn’t I, a professional photographer, have a professional camera with me at that time, but I had three lenses? Well, it is because professional photographers like me do not carry cameras anymore unless we are on assignment. We leave that to the amateurs, who carry cameras everywhere. And besides, the Motorola Razor, in the hands of a pro, is more than sufficient. I had just actually finished a series for an exhibit with it, titled “Malaysia on my Motorola”, but that is another story altogether. Now back to our 100mph story. Taking a closer look at the photo, I notice he really was handsome in his youth! He says he actually was in the movies for a time, playing the young chinese mestizo roles, but that he was more intrigued with cinematography, than acting in front of the camera. Besides, he had just met the woman whom we would eventually marry and spend the rest of his life with. And she was also a looker!

After finishing my cigar, a half-corona Tabaqueria red label made from Isabela Burley Tobacco leaf, and after I began packing my three lenses into the camera bag, I asked if he would finally lend me his proprietary tools so I can do the cleaning myself. In the decade or so since our first meeting, all I have ever done was watch him do it himself; and I was quite familiar with the process already. But since I was never allowed to touch anything, much less borrow a tool, I pretty much knew the answer. But he stood up, walked with the gait of a person in rehab, and came back with four newly crafted opening tools. With a wide smile, the only thing he asked was when I was coming back. “Before Valentine’s”, I replied, as I hurriedly packed the tools, in case he would change his mind. He waved us off, as Ron Taccad and I drove away.

It would be two and a half months before I paid him a visit again; but this time without the lenses. All I brought with me was his new 8x10 portrait, holding up his 100mph club photograph. His youngest son came up to me and said that his “dad was sick, but was recovering”. For a week after my January visit, he would constantly wait for the days to pass until Valentine’s day, which was three weeks away then. Sometime thereabouts, he fell ill, with a three-pronged attack of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Dementia. I was brought to his room, where he was a shadow of his former self. On seeing me and the portrait I brought, his eyes brightened as he struggled to sit up. Knowing how physically tiring it was for him, and how emotionally difficult it was for me, I decided to leave barely two minutes after. “He is responding quite well to medication and therapy” said his wife. “Strong-willed persons usually do so” I replied. I added, “It’s a good thing that I took his photo then”, as I walked towards the door to leave, intending to return when I sense he has physically gotten better. I hope it does not take too long.

Finally it dawned on me. Photography, with its ability to freeze the priceless moment, should freeze the priceless moment. And this is the moment that I have frozen.

Jesus Paul C. Yan

For The Paul Yan Chronicles, 2007

This One's For You, Diana!

2011-02-01T01:17:00.000-08:00

(This is going to be quite a long "work in progress" thingy.
I have been trying to upload the photo and there seems to be a browser conflict somewhere. The text has also not been fully thought out yet...
so please just be on standby while i try to resolve the computer issues first...)

Prestige Cruises is back with a bigger and better cruising boat for us. The new boat has three decks, versus two decks on the previous boat. the top deck is completely al fresco, which is perfect for stargazing, and has significantly more elbow room. Should a sudden downpour happen, there is the covered second deck which is also where refreshments are served. Photographers avoid getting their hands greasy though, so as not to mess with their new cameras...

All in all, 15 people made it to the first PYE cruise with Prestige for 2011. Notably present in the photo is John & Miriam Sy; John is from my xavier batch. our weight ratio from grade school is still the same now. hehehe. Guesting are members of this year's first Intro class which includes Miriam, Roxanne, Tony, and Anoy. They are joined by the members of Project f/8.0, represented by Geeboy, Chiqui, Potpot, Abby, John, & Sandy. not available that day were Xenon, Joy, & Malou. Not in photo but also joining us on the cruise was Peterson Tan who prefers to be called by his GenSan nickname of BabyTuna, and his daughter Kia, future top chef and current student at Enderun. Peterson is a very good friend who really loves the sea. so when he heard about this maiden cruise, quickly jumped into his Patrol and drove to the Harbor!

We did miss the presence of Diana, from Nueva Ecija who I understand, wanted to join this cruise, but was unable to. So, Diana, like I told Shanon, "This One's For You!". we really wished you could have joined us.

by the way, go ask shanon if she's already done her short piece on Boracay's famous "Real Coffee" joint. we would love to read it...

Taming Light

2011-01-07T15:21:00.000-08:00

Taming Light

4-day session, 2^nd session on location at breakwater, ccp complex, weather-allowing.

Course Description: Taming Light is the 3^rd installment of The Paul Yan Experience photography workshops, which follows “Introduction to photography as a serious hobby”, and, “The creative side of photography for the serious hobbyist”, and precedes the 4^th installment, “The artistic side of photography for the serious hobbyist”. Taming Light exerts emphasis on grasping the basic nuances of light which for the most part goes unnoticed except to the keenest observer. Light, regardless of source, will have color attributes, direction, brightness and intensity. Its color attributes will affect the photographic subject; its direction creating the shadows; and its intensity providing the overall mood. Photography is all about light. The hobbyist who can tame the light will definitely be one step closer to mastering the photographic medium.

What to expect? Participants will learn about exposure values, and how this knowledge will guide them to choose exposures other than what has been recommended by the camera. Participants will also be exposed to ambient light metering which is significantly different from the reflective light metering method they have been accustomed to. Controlling on-board and dedicated external flash units, as well as studio strobes will take up the balance of the final session.

Participants are expected to bring a spot-metering capable DSLR, a handheld light or flash meter, infrared or radio triggers, and possibly a flash slave unit. Participants will have preferably taken one or both of the previous Paul Yan Experience modules, but this is not mandatory. However, they should have a substantial understanding of the photographic process.

All lighting equipment provided by D'24K Foto, as part of its sponsorship program exclusively for The Paul Yan Experience workshop series.

Designed and prepared by Paul Yan

for exclusive use of The Paul Yan Experience Team

perceptions and images

2011-01-04T22:42:00.000-08:00

Philippine photography's Anthony Bourdain

I feel very strongly about being unique, one of a kind. I believe that what I do, I do it in my unique way, and unlike any other. However, more and more people have told me that the way I write reminds them about Tony Bourdain. This comparison I truly find flattering.

Tony, for those who are not familiar with him, will associate him with food alone. In much the same way that those who have only heard of me will associate me strictly with photography. Those who follow Tony will easily realise that food is only the handle, but the entire package has more to do with his insights into the extraordinary life of seemingly ordinary mortals. Those who have had the opportunity to interact with me, both in the virtual world and in the real world, will also realise that photography is also only my handle, but the complete package has more to do with living, in the quality we want, with the resources that we have been afforded. It is never about how expensive something is, but rather it is about how much enjoyment and fulfillment we derive from what is in front of us.

Lilybeth, who sees my poster virtually everyday, has been bugging me to change my very formal “coat and tie” portrait to something she thinks resembles my persona more closely. So, just yesterday, we finally had a photo session and this is what came out of it.

I think it is a look that Tony might approve of.

Jesus Paul C. Yan

for The Paul Yan Chronicles

photo credits:

Photography LilyBeth T. Orencia

Styling Lesley Tiu of Shuji Kida Salon

Lighting Design Paul Yan

Cigar Cohiba Edicion Limitada, 2003, Torpedo

Jacket Banana Republic, Aviator, Distressed;

from the private collection of Dr. Aris Dungo

Eyewear Photocromic lenses provided by Spider

Lights Provided by D' 24K Foto

prestige cruises, and the united arab emirates

2011-01-03T03:13:00.000-08:00

I just got a call from Prestige Cruises, that our long-awaited charter ship is finally ready. That is perhaps the most anticipated news which everyone, especially Peter & Tess, has been waiting for!

I haven't seen the new boat yet, but I heard it is virtually double the size of the old one! this is both good and bad. good, as we have more room to move around, but bad, as we cannot afford to charter the whole vessel anymore. hahaha. How big? the seating capacity is now 250 persons. I cannot see myself booking and coaching that many in a single cruise...

As for the United Arab Emirates, they are now in fourth place, as browsers of this page, by country. I guess this is due in large part to the huge Filipino community there. Anyways, to whoever reads this from that part of the Middle East, "Padala Naman Kayo ng Cuban Cigar!" hahaha. The UAE has one of the widest selections of good cigars anywhere in the world, which is why I cannot fathom why I still haven't received any for this christmas! my mailing address is.... :)

And speaking of cigars, my cigar mule who works in Dubai and is supposed to be carrying another set of Robustos for me, has brought cigarillos instead; wala raw mabiling malaking size sa Dubai. hahaha. last year, my stash of cubans were supposedly intercepted at Changi Airport, along with a bag of vitamins, medicines, & health supplements. what do you guys in Dubai think??

now, go dislodge the USA from 3rd place...

written by a "smokeless" Jesus Paul C. Yan
for The Paul Yan Chronicles

and the netherlands is now number 2!

2010-12-26T18:36:00.001-08:00

The Netherlands, one of the best performing teams in the recently concluded world cup, has pulled off another surprise.
Virtually just under everyone's radar (most especially mine) they have seized second spot overall from the United States as viewers of this blog just yesterday!
This comes as a huge surprise for The Paul Yan Experience team, since we only know of one couple from the Netherlands, Andre & Lorena La Pierre. Perhaps they have been responsible for the surge in viewership in that part of europe... so, to everyone from the Netherlands, thank you for dropping by.
Oh, incidentally, you guys are just a breath away from also overtaking the Philippines, which is currently in first place. If you do so, I think I might just write up a special piece on your country...

Raising a cup of hot chocolate to all of you...
and a cuban cigar to you, andre...

Jesus Paul C. Yan
for The Paul Yan Experience

Who's Your Hero?

2010-12-20T00:02:00.000-08:00

Who's Your Hero?

For me, it took a giant to open my eyes to the beauty of found objects, and I have not looked back since.

He was a giant in the world of photography. He was a giant to everyone in the industry, in a time when they were too few and far between, but whose conquests reached far far outside the realm of our world. He who was the only Filipino exponent of color posterization where in the rest of the world, there were probably less than a hundred (professionally, less than twenty). Color posterization was the photographic technique I wanted to learn (and eventually master) but could not find any technical literature save for two pages from an obscure issue of a photographic magazine. It took an introduction by Senor Leonidas Maloles for me to meet the giant who would one day be responsible for my decision to pursue photography in the degree that I have pursued it today.

I still remember the day (over two decades ago) when I finally completed learning everything about color posterization, which was a long-drawn process taking between 8-12 hours per photograph. He congratulated me for the months of hard work I put into learning the process. After which he said in the vernacular, “syanga pala, kalalabas lang ng Photoshop. Isang software yun na kaya nang gawin yung tinuro ko sa iyo ng 5 minutes lang....” Oh well. At least for the record I was the second Filipino to learn the technique...

Over the next few years, I would occasionally drop by his studio in between stints of corporate work. In those visits, I would unknowingly meet several other giants, and they would jokingly refer to me as Mister Posterized! It was then that I realized that giants look like giants only when in the company of us mere mortals. But among themselves, the giants are pretty much just like us too. Soon after, I started imbibing their visualizations. This process I call “OSMOSIS” for obvious reasons (from a region of greater concentration to a region of lesser concentration...).

Eventually, as I dropped out of the corporate world in favor of going into business with my family, I spent more and more time at his studio. It was at this time that I learned most of what I know from him and four of his fellow masters. It is from this interaction where I gained my technical knowledge; each one teaching me his field of expertise. I, the sum of 5 masters, from a brew by 5 masters.

He is an architect by education. Perhaps this is the reason why his photographs seem so cleanly assembled as if they were lain out with a design already in mind. All this he accomplished in the camera, way way before the advent of imaging.

Since his youth, he has been into music. Perhaps this is the reason why there is dynamism in his photographs.

He loves the warmth of the sun. Perhaps this is the reason why his early works have often been compared to a painter named Amorsolo. (incidentally, his studio sits on a street also named Amorsolo)

He is simplicity personified. Often we tend to dabble in the complicated, hoping it will show our mastery over a lot of elements; It takes a master to just make everything look so simple and clean.

And he has done more international book projects during the time where the only people invited to do book projects were people of international stature.

Although he towers over most of us, he has never been loud about it, preferring to stay out of the limelight if he can avoid it. But in January 31 2011, he has graciously accepted an invitation by the Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation, Inc. to do a slideshow and give a talk on some of his iconic images during Photoworld Asia 2011.

This giant is Emil V. Davocol, and I will be his assistant.

I am Jesus Paul C. Yan.

My Boracay

2010-12-12T21:14:00.000-08:00

A place for solitude in the middle of somewhere.

Thirty years ago, it was the aviary in Greenbelt. (yes victoria, there used to be a huge aviary where the entire Greenbelt park now sits) A place of quiet in the middle of somewhere. I used to walk along it's wooden elevated platforms every chance i'd get, and just look at the giant ferns and the birds I would again only see when I visited Jurong. I was at least a year away from receiving my first SLR from my dad, and looking was my best way of preserving the memories then.

Jurong was the place I went to on my first ever trip outside the country. The photograph of flamingos through grass reeds (circa 1987) was one of my first exhibit prints (exhibited at National Photography Week 1989), and it's visual appeal is still enduring. Jurong, a place of quiet in the middle of somewhere.
http://thepaulyanchronicles.multiply.com/photos/album/1/unseen_details_of_the_Philippines#photo=7

Fifteen years ago, it was Kowloon Park within the Golden Mile. (victoria, if you do not know where the golden mile is, then you are not a certified pinoy shopper) Another quiet place in the middle of somewhere. I only had the chance to visit once, but I remembered shooting some very stunning photos of roses, one of two kinds of flowers my mom loved, and koi, which was my dad's passion.

Twelve years ago, it was the lagoons of Safari World (victoria, if you will join the paul yan experience on March 25-29, you will see Safari World firsthand) and their huge arapaimas that was my quiet place. I had never seen as many large arapaimas converge in a single place until then, and I was mesmerized.

Since 2006, I have associated Boracay with the same concepts as those. My quiet place. My point of solitude. This time around however, I brought my camera and captured some private images which I will now share with you. This is my kind of photography; private, introspective, and with the ability to capture the moment the way I interpret it.

Please appreciate it in the context I have lain.

Posts, of course, are always welcome.

Jesus Paul C. Yan
for The Paul Yan Chronicles
ps. requests for exhibit prints will be arranged through my online team.

...so I ask...uhmmm...have you ever been...

2010-12-10T15:27:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago, I was asked about why I used the word "experience" after my name for the photographic workshops I conduct here and there. I initially thought about just giving a very straitforward and nonchalant answer but decided to go for something in the direction of the pretentiously profound, so I answered, "have you ever heard of Jimi Hendrix?"

As the person inquiring was not a day over thirty and had not really been into rock music, Hendrix was not even on the periphery of her consciousness. I just asked her to type Jimi Hendrix on the google search bar the next time she goes online, and just add the word "experience" after it. She hasn't gotten round to it yet.

As for me, once upon a time about 15 years ago, there was a band doing the manila gig scene that i'd read about or occasionally run into called "The Aga Muhlach Experience". Although I never had the chance to share a performance with them, they were made a little bit more famous by their choice of name. Unfortunately, Aga Muhlach, who has the same name and was probably the inspiration for theirs, was not a part of their band, and eventually asked them to stop using his name for the band... and that was the end of that.

Now, going back to Jimi Hendrix, in an excerpt from an interview about "the experience", he says "...it's not really about you and your experience..." "what i'd like to ask is... uhmmm..have you ever been experienced..?"

And so, not really intending to cast an air of mystery to the name anymore, our workshops are called "The Paul Yan Experience" mainly because each batch goes through some memorable "experience" during the course of their workshop. It is the anticipation of that particular experience which causes the workshops to be quite popular and endearing to all the participants. Come to think of it, it is the "experience" part which sets the workshop apart from everything else. I will leave it at that, and just let the photographs speak for itself.

postscript: eagerly awaiting contributions from three writers; Shanon and her take on Real Coffee's Calamansi Muffin; and Potpot & Tess/Peter's collaborative piece on their Boracay experience.

postscript 2: I have already prepared my own images of the boracay experience. expect it to be posted soon. and i assure you, it will be worth the wait.

postcript 3: the boracay experience will be having a recap party and it is being organized by potpot. if you do not know how to get in touch with him yet, he has a link on this page. you may also reach him through his facebook.

postscript 4: I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the following for making this event truly memorable:

* D24-K Foto for providing tremendous trade support for all my activities, throughout the year

* Shuji Kida Salon our ultra high-end beauty services partner

* Professional Image Works (prolab) my official printing partner

* The Olympus Showroom, Annex North Edsa, our trade sponsor

* Kamille & Grace, of The Tides Boracay, our hotel partner, for taking care of some of our vip's

* Boracay Regency, Astoria, La Carmela, & Shenna's for taking care of our other vip's

* Jay & the other staff of Le Soleil's beach buffet dinner for giving my team our BEST MEAL EVER

* Carla of Discovery Shores, for making the experience of being bumped off an airline a shared adventure,
* Shanon & Aurice of Nueva Ecija, for being the only other persons who nearly lost their luggage

* the SEAIR staff, for doing everything humanly possible to get me to Boracay ahead of everyone else, even if in the end I ended up arriving after everyone else, 30 minutes before the sunset, and causing me to lose out on our first shoot sked...

* Peach of Wave 89.1, & Shierdan of CameraGeekTV, our media partners

* Uly, for arranging all airline & hotel accomodations; Sini, for consistently being my most professional model; Manilyn & Lourdes, for being so dependable.

and of course to all the participants, for sharing the last days of November with me.

and to everyone who has browsed this site in the past 40 days. site traffic has doubled and is about to reach 2,000 hits. to everyone on the three continents (asia, the americas, and europe) who has paid us a visit recently, thank you for your support. I hope to reach the 2,000 hit milestone before christmas.

Jesus Paul C. Yan

for The Paul Yan Chronicles

Its Time to Post Your Links

2010-12-01T01:20:00.000-08:00

To everyone who joined us in the Boracay leg of the Paul Yan Experience, please post a link to some of your photographs, under the comments section.

Despite all the airport and baggage hassles, we all had a great time! We should either have a recap/reunion activity, or an online gallery of our photos...

Paul Yan

No Calls please, we're all flying to Boracay!!!

2010-11-26T01:33:00.000-08:00

It is actually about to unfold. The first Paul Yan Experience activity in Boracay is less than twenty four hours away!

As of the moment, 5 participants are already there. Lourdes, serving as our advance party, informs us to expect the following charges:
1) domestic airport terminal fee P200
2) caticlan terminal fee P50
3) boracay environmental fee P75
4) caticlan ferry to boracay P30
5) boracay tricycle/multicab 100-250
numbers 1-3 will apply to all, while 4 and 5 will only apply to those who did not book the roundtrip transfers.

Lourdes suggests a couple of good eat options, with a range of budgets from "cheerful with a coke", to "swanky with a club soda". so do look her up as soon as you get there.

D 24'K Photo Store has also sent a couple of white balance lens caps, some flash snoots, and several flash softboxes. i will try to bring whatever fits into my very small hard case suitcase.

The weather is quite good, Lourdes points out. The bars and bargains are also quite plentiful she says, suggesting that should you wish to drink like a fish, then choose the ones that are crawling distance from your crib.

As I have been bumped off my 1pm flight for an earlier one (10:30am, also via Seair) I will expect you guys at the roofdeck poolside of the Tides Hotel at 4pm. And since the Tides has been gracious enough not to charge us for the use of their deck, we are all being encouraged to just simply avail of their happy hour and order a cocktail or two while we do our first shoot. Beer is 80 bucks. For your first cocktail, I strongly recommend the LONG ISLAND ICED TEA (which is alcoholic) to complement my short lecture. that way, the questions will come fast and the answers even faster.

oh, if you want the whole world to know that you were with us in bora, then go easy on the sunblock. burn baby, and show it off when you get home.

one other thing. Camera Geek TV has informed us that they MIGHT be able to fly in on november 28. If they do fly in, it will be to do a companion piece on The Paul Yan Experience, which everyone knows is "The Philippines Best Known Photography Secret"... so, do let me know in advance if you are camera-shy, or do not wish to be the next Philippine Idol, so I can keep everything very discreet.

See ya all there!

Jesus Paul C. Yan
for The Paul Yan Chronicles

The Boracay Primer

2010-11-14T15:37:00.000-08:00

update as of November 15

list of participants:
Tess & Peter;
Lhor & Maricel;
Mae
John
Jordan
Sandy
Potpot
Joey & wife, from Canada (c/o John)

paul, uly, rosini, manilyn, & lourdes

what to bring:
* a long lens. (preferably a telephoto zoom, in the range of 70mm towards 200mm)

* a wide-angle lens. (the kit lens should be fine, although something wider will be better)

* optical filters. Suggested filters are: 1) starburst 2) circular polarizers 3) graduated sunset or tobacco filter When buying filters, keep in mind that screw-in filters come in different diameters, and they

should correspond to the diameter of the lens you will use it on. (58mm, 62mm, 68mm, 72mm,

77mm) Filters also come in a range of prices and brands. If you intend to use those filters for a

long time, then you might want to buy something more expensive. But if you just want to try

them out, then go for the cheap ones. Cheap china-made filters can be found everywhere; but if

you find yourself in Hidalgo street, drop by 'D24K Foto store and check out their LIDA brand

filters. Prices range from P400-1,000 depending on size and type.

* external flash unit.
If you have one, now will be a good time to learn how to use it in fill mode. this is going to be part of the headshots shoot, where you get to control frontal light and background light. If you do not have one, then the one that's built-in on your camera will work just fine, no need to buy one anymore.

* tripod. As we are travelling by air, just bring a light tripod so it isn't too much of a hassle to lug around.

* zip-loc bags. When crossing bodies of water, I recommend that you place your cameras & lenses in individual zip-loc bags just in case the inevitable happens. And they do happen.

Shoot skeds: (three group shoots)
* first sked is November 27, 30mins before sunset, at the pool area of The Tides Hotel.
Shoot options: first headshots with Rosini, or Boracay sunset if the weather cooperates.

* second sked is November 28, 8:30-10am, beach area in front of La Carmela Hotel.
Second headshots, with hats and accessories.

* third and final sked is on November 28, 4:30-7:30pm, beach area in front of Willy's Rock.
Landmarks, Scenics, Sunsets, Afterglow, candle-lighted Sand Castles.

Trip tips:
* travel lite.
  If you can avoid bringing all your 7 lenses and 4 camera bodies, you should be just fine. Dont worry about
  missed shooting opportunities because you didn't bring your 1200mm tele. Remember that you will have to
  lug around everything yourself. So, just shoot with what you have, and enjoy the moment with your new-
  found shooting buddies.

* remember to bring your battery charger.
  You may also want to invest in a second battery now. China made batteries go for P500-800. And if you
   aren't too confident about china manufactured batteries but find original batteries too expensive, just keep in
   mind that a second fully charged battery that's made in china will always out-trump a single original drained
   battery in boracay.

* meds.
  If you take medicines regularly, make sure you bring the essentials along. Boracay isn't known

for its drugstores.

* swimwear/eyewear
  Boracay is the land of the skimpy, so bring your sexiest outfits. Oh, in boracay, no one cares whether your
  body matches the swimwear. You just know because nobody photographs you... As for eyewear, a good
  pair of sunglasses will help take care of your eyes.

* cocktails
  As this is the lean season, expect to get most of your drinks at 50% off. Help the Boracay economy by
ordering double what you intend to consume. Hahaha Expect Rum Cokes to be cheaper than a can of
Coke. Look for BomBom Bar if you feel like listening to Reggae music. The poolside bar at the Tides is
also very well known for their spa, bar and happy hour. Do check them out. If you want the expat crowd,
head over to Nigi Nigi Noo Noos somewhere in station 2. La Reserve and Cafe Del Mar (also around the area) are also favorite hang outs of caucasian expats. La Reserve is the only place that serves Haagen Dazs ice cream on the island, and also has a nice list of Cuban cigars on the menu. If you are a massive fan of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, then look for Hobbit House at D Mall, which was inspired by the trilogy.

* massages
  virtually all hotels offer spa treatments, but if you want some ultimate pampering, Boracay is home to several
  world famous spas. Go search the net for suggestions. It will surely be an experience.

* seafood
  As Boracay is an island (I dunno if that detail escaped you..) so seafood should be plentiful, cheap, and very
  fresh. Explore before choosing a place to eat. The marketplace offers a range of economical options, while
  hotels and restaurants around the area will probably offer buffet dinners. Lobster is available at Manila
  prices, so unless you have an addiction to it, you may want to hold back. Shellfish is plentiful. Check first to
  confirm if the red tide alert only covers luzon...

* meat
  steaks, chops, stews and sausages are also very plentiful in the area. If you still do not have a favorite
  place, then just let your nose guide you. Andok's is already in Boracay, so if you also miss the taste of
  manila, then head over to the backside.

* telephone / internet facilities.
  Your hotel probably has a wifi connection already. Your smartphone is also wifi ready. But if you still want
   to discreetly check your email, Boracay also has several internet cafes spread all over the 3 stations.

* coffee shops
   Lonely Planet (which incidentally has a small shop in boracay) lists several exquisite coffee

joints scattered throughout the island. The best one sits close to station 1, in a smallish nipa hut, and closes
  around 6pm. I don't quite remember the name, but I think they also serve french toast.

* watersports
   If you still don't know Boracay's middle name (it is watersports) then you probably haven't been there.
  Options include Jetskis, speedboats, diving trips, wind sailing, aqua gliding, and the ubiquitous banana
  boat. Check out your hotel concierge for more information.

* optional trips
  I've never figured out why people fly to an island, and then book an optional island hopping tour as soon as
  they get there. Hahaha. Well, the Tides actually also has an outrigger for rent. Usually the island hopping tour
  comes with packed lunch. As the island hopping is costed per boat/trip, it will be more economical for you
  to book this by group. Oh, do bring your zip locs...

and finally... for those who booked and got internet e-tickets... remember to print those. Hahaha

I will be available for private consultation related to the boracay trip. I will be at the waltermart studio in makati on saturday, november 20, from 1-4pm. You know how to reach me.

Jesus Paul C. Yan
for The Paul Yan Chronicles
oh, please put down some comments on this page, so ill know you've dropped by and checked it out..

It's Boracay, or Bust!!!

2010-10-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

As some of you may have heard by now, I will be bringing the Paul Yan Experience workshop to Boracay on November 27-29. Here is a blow-by-blow so everyone can understand the context of the project... This activity was triggered by the Astoria Plaza graduates who were requesting for a “beach-based” workshop cum vacation soon. So Uly, my partner in the Astoria Plaza workshop series, quickly set off to look at potential dates and venues and found a holiday weekend at the end of November. I mention to him that I’ve heard of this swanky hotel with a nice infinity pool at it’s roofdeck looking out towards the sunset side of Boracay. “I think that’s a perfect spot to do a workshop on headshots, at sunset, using balanced flash outputs from the camera’s built-in flash”. I said to him, adding, “I actually have a headshots model in mind, very classy looking, who registers very well on the viewfinder!”. I proceed to call Rossini to ask if she was available on that long weekend. As she had never been to Boracay, she was elated at the prospect, but asked for a weekend to see if she could clear her sked first before confirming for the gig. I knew how busy she was since the middle of 2010, most especially after she did a short cameo in Endless Love, so I hoped she would be available. She confirmed. J Then Uly got in touch with The Tides Boracay, to see if they were available, at the pricepoint we wanted (which was PhP 7,000/pax for airfare and accomodations). Their promo (which was very close to our pricepoint) was only until October 15, and would be adjusted upwards by nearly double (12,000/pax, for Seair, and twinshare 3d/2n at Tides) for our workshop date. I mentioned that without the infinity pool, the workshop wouldn’t be as memorable for the participants, and thus I felt that it was very important for it to be included. I met with the Manila office of The Tides, and they were very excited at the prospect of being the first Boracay venue of The Paul Yan Experience workshops. They show me some more photos of the hotel, and I am blown away at how beautiful everything looks. As it turns out, The Tides Boracay was recently chosen as one of the top 60 destinations in Asia… However, beauty will always come at a price. For this project to materialize, I have to book 6 rooms (12pax, based on twinshare, each pax coughing up 12k) para hindi naman nakakahiya because we won’t be charged extra for the infinity pool thingy. Oh, on the topic of the infinity pool, it is on their roofdeck (4th floor), and they have a slew of spa services and cocktails we can avail of while waiting for sunset to come. That alone is already the perfect justification for a boracay holiday, right? So, here is the bottom line. 1) the workshop fee is only 6k/per pax.

2) to do the gig at The Tides Boracay, 12 participants will have to book packages worth 12k each, which is on top of the 6k workshop fee. My team can handle the bookings, in your names, but payments for the packages will have to be handled by the participants, within the timetables set down by The Tides.

3) I’ve asked The Tides to put us down for a penciled reservation of 6 rooms, until October 31. If we do not reach the magic number of 12pax, we will not push through with it.

4) If we do hit 12pax for The Tides, and then the (improbable) surge of participants start calling for more slots, the team will provide booking assistance to two other hotels close by (most probably Boracay Regency & La Carmela). Hahahahaha, at this point, it is certainly wishful thinking. But the team will be ready for it.

5) So far, here are the first names of those who have expressed interest. a) Lhor, and company (otherwise, solo room. Hehehe) b) Tess & Peter (all indicators point to “go”) c) Mae & daughter (still checking international skeds) d) TJ, and company (if he finds company, sure to “go”) e) the batch of Emil, Val, & Janneth (subject of course to val & janneth’s approval; Dhole too!) and, f) the Sta Maria siblings, who are flying in just to join the fun. So, to wrap up, if you are looking forward to another one-of-a-kind photographic experience with me, this is really the best we will come up with, to end the year with a bang. Do help us out and call some of your friends to join you. If they can hack the costs of The Tides package, then it will certainly help us push through with this activity. Please let my team know on or before October 31. For 2011, look out for a food and wine appreciation class paired with food and wine photography! We will be bringing in one of the most renowned Filipina food concept thinkers from New York to do a private gourmet and photography workshop with the alumni of The Paul Yan Experience classes. You know where to reach me. Warm regards to everyone. Paul Yan October 23, 2010

My 2007 Cigar Brand That I Wasn't Able to Launch

2010-08-29T14:54:00.000-07:00

I have been a cigar smoker since 1986, puffing my first stogie inside a radio station i was interning in. Having been given 5 or 6 cigars bearing the Presidential Seal of Ferdinand Marcos by my boss, hotshot DJ Louie Dizon, and having been part of the anti-Marcos struggle, I proceeded to treat the cigars as my personal trophies of the struggle against a dictator. Without the benefit of a cigar cutter or even a puncher, Louie taught me how to "punch" holes using a match stick. So, we lit up, and puffed, and puffed, while "on board" at primetime. What I could not forget from that first cigar was that the

one I lit up was producing a film of oil on my lips, much like what you would have if you ate a plateful of homestyle pinoy spaghetti. Now, after 24 years of smoking a range of cigar brands including some of the famous ones from Cuba, I have NOT YET COME ACROSS ANOTHER CIGAR THAT PRODUCED A FILM OF OIL. Never. Now here is the sad part. of that clutch of cigars, I remember smoking 3, giving another 1 or 2 away, and just keeping 1 for souvenir in a drawer that is now in my parent's house in Bulacan. I do not think it is still there anymore. Those cigars are priceless now for two reasons: quality, and historical value.

Ever since 2005, I have been thinking about launching my own brand, but with the leaves imported and rolled for me by a third party. The brand whose taste I wanted to emulate was the original "Double Happiness", which was, for all intents and purposes, a Philippine brand manufactured for an American company. Naturally, I wanted the manufacturer to make a batch for me, but the situation was more of "chicken and egg", or "is this supposed to come before that"? I had trouble designing the bands, (the one which goes around the cigar) but the bigger trouble was finding a printer who could just do "one-offs" for me. The printer of Manila Cigars (cigars in their own test tubes) could print it for me, but their minimum run is 100,000 cigar bands. I only needed 1,000. To simplify the inventory, I had wanted to issue just one size, which was the ROBUSTO. at that time, my favorite size was the robusto, as I had not yet been exposed to the torpedo and pyramid. All three sizes, robusto, torpedo & pyramid, are "fat" cigars, but the robusto is strait, versus the other two which had a tapered head. Tapered heads give you the choice of adjusting the resistance or "drag" of the cigar.

In hindsight, I would have opted for a FAT ROBUSTO, which was exactly like a robusto, only fatter and an inch shorter. Fat robustos are not rolled in the Philippines, and it is difficult to find an imported one. Fat Robustos burn faster (about 20 minutes, since they are shorter) than regular robustos which burn for about 30 minutes. Hence, my subname "Media Hora". Fat robustos would be my choice today because of 2 reasons: 1) the shorter burning time is more for the "trial" cigar smokers, so they do not become impatient waiting for the cigar experience to end. 2) the "fat & squat" look of the cigars resembles the "gangster" look, and maybe what people remember cigars to look like.

The photo is the first print of my ill-fated brand, Camara Estates. The profile is of Don Pedro Camara, patriarch of the clan. The cigar band was supposed to be printed with gold stamp.

This is the second cigar band design which was a much simpler option without the gold foil and the photographic printing. The choice of green was to set it apart from the traditional brands, as the popular band color was principally red or some variant thereof. The cigars are all "HECHO A MANO", meaning all hand made. Premium cigars have to be hand rolled, with little or no mechanical intervention so as to keep its positioning in the top-end chain.

So, what happened to it all? There were 3 factors which prevented the launching of my cigar brand. First was the venture capital I was intending to raise. Second was the legislation and implementation of the advertising ban on tobacco products, which would have hit me hard. Third, were my endorsers. If you remember, 2007 was an election year. I supported 7 candidates who were "sure win" by anyone's analysis. At least 4 of those 7 had already agreed to endorse my brand, and the appropriate advertising shoot was already completed. None of those big names won, and the project went down.

Two months ago, while cleaning out my drawers, I chanced upon those two photographs. I remembered this ill-fated venture that only a handful of people knew. I think its about time that everyone else should get to hear about my cigar brand. The one I failed to launch.

Jesus Paul C. Yan

for The Paul Yan Chronicles

August 30, 2010

The Chows I've Come Across

2010-08-13T16:11:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone.

this is the first time im posting an announcement on an article currently in progress. these are short snippets of encounters i have had with chows, or their owners, through the years. some will be funny (because of the eccentricities of the owners themselves) and some may move you to tears (due to how emotional and single-minded the chows can be when they get upset). these stories i have long-wanted to write and share (actually since 2001) but originally intended it to be released as a short companion book. that possibility seems so distant now.

should you like to contribute (assuming you didnt know ive heard about your chow... hehehe) please feel free to tell us a little about your story through the comments portion below this blog.

Ill be sitting down later tonight and probably the whole of tomorrow to work on this. I just have to do a series of lectures today starting at 8:30am, until 7pm tonight.

regards,

Paul Yan

The Will Of The Wind

2010-08-07T16:41:00.000-07:00

THE WILL OF THE WIND

I spent half my life, trying to change the way things were;

and half my life, trying to make them stay the same again..

about five years ago, a fellow consultant at First Data Corp. asked me if I had to give up anything when I met my wife. We were having our usual after-lunch round table discussions with a third consultant who was also a Diliman alumnus. I thought about it for a few minutes before I gave my answer. I said, “my window seat”. Both of them stared at me in amazement and I gave a short explanation.

I said, “ever since the first time I travelled to singapore in 1987, I have always had a window seat. I loved gazing out through the window, and just staring far far away, at the view. And when I met my wife, I wanted her to enjoy it like I did, even though I knew that in the process I would never have that pleasure for myself again. I knew I was willing to give up my seat by the window for her, for the rest of my life”. For me it was a very simple answer. My two fellow consultants were probably waiting to hear something more dramatic or romantic like giving up heaven or earth, or smoking & drinking, or a huge inheritance or turning my back on my family. But since I basically had none of those, and since early on I knew that I was willing to give up everything for her, the most tangible thing I gave up is my spot in the sun, by the window.

And boy did we travel. Each chance we'd get, we'd fly off to somewhere. Where exactly wasn't as important as that we were travelling and doing the things we wanted to do together. So it was hong kong, singapore, bangkok, shanghai, beijing, cebu, boracay, busuanga, petaling jaya, and wherever else our tickets took us. Each trip had its own share of joys, pains, fights, and food trips. And with each one, I willingly sat on seat B instead of seat A.

Now, I have a chance to sit beside the window again. But after contentedly giving it up for 17 years, I don't think I want it anymore. I never wanted it back anyway.

Jesus Paul C. Yan

for The Paul Yan Chronicles

June 30, 5:12 am

sidebar 1

as you very well already know, our condo is up for sale. The United States of America, which has been the source of most of our bread and butter, has been in recession for nearly two years. The wellspring has dried up. The Condo has to go, and as soon as possible. We will need your help.

sidebar 2

about the song. When I first heard it, this was in the early part of 1994 or thereabouts, I actually got teary eyed. the first parts of the lyrics summed up the personal crisis I was going through at that time. My family had just practically lost nearly everything, and the only bright spot on the horizon was that three of us had restarted into promising new careers. In a year, we were able to pull off a 180degree turnaround. There was actually another song from the era, titled "You Were There", which also elicited the same teary-eyed reaction each time i'd hear it. I associated that song with my wife, who I had met fairly recently then, because she was my inspiration through those trying times. When I wrote this piece 5 weeks ago, I had also just gone through deja vu. the main difference was that there was absolutely no bright spot on the horizon at all. No clear options, and no wellspring of resources to pursue anything at all, even self-made options. It took 5 weeks for me to decide to put this post up, it being so personal and probably not too easy for the context to be picked up. now it is up. and the horizon is still as dark as a never-ending storm.

YES, it is for sale

2010-07-19T03:39:00.000-07:00

OUR CONDO UNIT IS NOW FOR SALE It is a 77sqm unit located in a very comfortable area in San Juan, with easy access to everything. The unit has two bedrooms, each one with its own private bath and toilet. There is centralized heating for all water outlets (showers, wash basins, kitchen). The convenience of a hot shower on a cold stormy night is best appreciated by those who routinely have to make do without one while living in a country which hosts around 20 storms per year. Washing greasy dishes is also a cinch as hot water easily reduces the effort substantially. The master's bedroom has a large picture window which actually occupies nearly 2/3 of the exterior wall. The master's bedroom faces the sunrise side so that you always wake up to a nice sunny mood. The building itself is oriented so that the sunrise and sunset cycle hits the units diagonally and not strait on. Our unit faces north east. Direct sunlight at the sala is until 10am, while the fully open balcony has direct sunlight until about 12 noon. So, during mid-afternoons, the unit is already in the “cool side” of the sun. The guest bedroom has a small window which opens to an airwell. Both the room and the bath are nearly as large as the master's bedroom, with the only trade-off being the large picture window should you choose to make it your main room. Both baths are also equipped with exhaust units. The sala and dining area is located between both rooms, and has its own window and airwell. It is naturally well illuminated because of the white 16inch tiles, white ceilings, and off-grey walls. Breakfasts at 7am will ensure that your carefully plated tocino, sinangag, sunny side up egg, and diced tomatoes are accented by the dramatic rays of the morning sun. The visual effect should be similar to what a late afternoon margarita will look like if you were sipping it at a resort in Ibiza. However, should you wish to tame the light, the four panel glass window and doors of the balcony (occupying 90 percent of the wall area) can be outfitted with thule curtains or even heavier drapery. The dining area already has provisions for a window type aircon unit, as with the two other rooms. The building is located on a street that bears one of Greenhills swankiest addresses, but comfortably away from the commercial center which has been too congested to traffic for over a decade. So, you get the advantage of a prestigious address minus the headaches of traffic. The location is also a mix of several ideal factors. It sits on top of a hill and is therefore virtually flood-proof; it lies at the start of the half-kilometer restaurant belt; and is accessible thru San Juan, Mandaluyong, and Manila. More specifically, the building sits on Wilson street, 20 meters off the intersection with P Guevarra. The building is 800 meters away from Cardinal Santos hospital, and 1,200 meters away from Greenhills Commercial Center. I usually prefer the 15minute brisk walk instead of taking the car and driving over there. There is also an 8-jeep shuttle from Macdonald's to the commercial center in case your pulse races too high from the exercise. The shuttle operates from 6am until 9pm. If you decide to take a stroll, you will be passing by some of the best restaurants in town. As this is predominantly a chinese enclave, you have Gloria Maris, Emperor's Villa, Red Prawn, Mann Hann, Wonton, North Park, House of Crabs, Weng Fei Wee, and Hong Tai Yang Seafood, as well as DECs, Little Store, and 5 other convenience stores selling mostly chinese gourmet stuff such as the rare live shanghai hairy crab (PhP600 a piece) and supersized double yolk eggs. There are also Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Continental, Spanish and a Thai restaurant, as well as an Andok's dine-in, a Mini-Stop, Mercury Drug and Southstar drugstore. There are two steakhouses, one dirt-cheap and the other spankingly expensive. There are internet cafes and coffee shops, one inasal station, a lasagna joint, a pizza joint, a burrito joint, and a handpulled noodle joint. The two branded pugon pan de sal stores are also in the area, as well as at least 5 each of nailspas, body spas, and hair salons. The price range of the salons are also fairly broad, as Vanidoza recently opened a branch next to the upscale Piandre.. There is a David's salon and a Bench Fix. All these within 5 minutes from the lobby. Incidentally, one of the most expensive salons is also 15 minutes away by foot; Shuji Kida Salon, the brand of the protege of Vidal Sassoon, charges up to PhP 6,000 for a haircut, and up to PhP 30,000 for specialized hair services. If you need premium fresh meat, Monterey is 20 steps away; if you are serving up foie gras or angus or wagyu or maybe bacalau or gindara along with your 1996 Chateau Latour, Santi's italian deli is 30 steps away; and for your daily meat and vegetable fix, Gonzales meat mart is 150 steps away. There are certainly huge benefits to the low-commercial zoning formula versus the full-blown serendra thingy.. The building doesn't simply have the benefit of a good location. It is also one of the better-managed condominiums around. Generator sets kick in around 90 seconds from a power outage, and in addition to fully powering all common areas (including the 4 level basement parking, 3 elevators, intercom units) it also powers the refrigerator in the kitchen, the two main lights in the living/dining area, and two electrical outlets where you usually plug the tv and your industrial fan. The building has its swimming pool on half of the roofdeck, while an indoor and outdoor function room occupies the other half. It also has its own helipad just in case you decide to call for a chartered chopper to fetch you. The condo is very upscale, but very low profile. Never loud, never garish. In fact, unless you look for it, you will probably not even realise that the condo is there at all. Our 77 sqm condo is one of only 8 units per floor, which is one of the lowest condo densities in Metro Manila. The condo is also just a moderate rise, consisting of 19 floors. The unit comes with its own basement parking slot. Association dues are in the range of 35pesos per sqm/month and covers virtually everything. The condo is perfect for the young couple just establishing their mark on the world, or for more established couples who appreciate a more enjoyable and laid back lifestyle. The condo is comfortable. The area is very secure. You've read the lifestyle we've lived here. Now, it's your turn to live it. We are selling the condo unit for PhP 5,000,000.

Chubby, In Memoriam

2010-06-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

Chubby, In Memoriam (June 07, 2010)

Chubby, a tender cinnamon chow chow, passed away, at the animal clinic yesterday.

My gift to my wife the year I intended us to get married, chubby spent her first two years with Lilet and bonded with her like nobody ever did. As our marriage was set back by two years, when we finally did, chubby was mad as hell that she had to share her mother with a stranger. At best, I was tolerated. At worst, I was the object of directed aggression most especially when my wife wasn't looking. But for my wife and I, Chubby was the child we never had. And although we never really talked about it, not having a child was somehow made a little more bearable because we had chubby around.

I do not recall if we ever really decided on having a chow chow first, versus some other breed of dog. I was not a dog lover up until then, but my wife was. It was she who taught me that dogs are not just man's best friend, but that they were perhaps the only creatures that could love man back unconditionally. Even man will not be capable of such unconditionality. Chubby showed me how she loved my wife unconditionally, and in her last nine months, she also showed me how she could love me unconditionally as well.

My business partner in the 90's, Danny Wong, had a daughter who brought home her chow chows from the States after finishing her studies there. Eventually her chow chows had a litter and I mentioned it to Lilet. And mainly because of my personality (where I would suggest something but not do anything to fulfill it), the first litter came and went and we did not even do anything to start the process of acquiring a puppy. Sometime after, Danny again mentioned that puppies were still available, but from the new litter. I mentioned it again to Lilet and again did nothing. Eventually though, we paid a visit to Danny's daughter and saw the chow chow puppies. It was love at first sight for Lilet and Chubby! And then again, I did nothing. A few days later Lilet asked me if I had already bought the puppy, and I was devastated at my inaction so I went right away to Danny's daughter and left a check. In a couple of weeks we could already take Chubby home. As she looked like a delicate baby, we opted to buy a collapsible clothes cradle to carry her home. The cradle was probably 10-12 inches tall, which we figured was tall enough for chubby not to jump out from. So we put Chubby in the clothes cradle and she promptly jumped out. That should have set the tone for the relationship, but it took a while before we figured out that it was impossible to make Chubby do anything she didn't like.

On her first night at home as a puppy, I think she couldn't wait for Lilet to wake up so that they could have some playtime on the bed. Chubby was also immediately liked by Lilet's late dad. A few months after when he passed away, the normally boisterous puppy just sat quietly in her place like she knew that there was a death in the family. My mother passed away a year before. It was at this time that I already wanted to settle down, but again owing to my personality, I did nothing about it. Not even to talk it over with Lilet. I just had my plans, but kept it to myself. Actually while my mom was still alive, I already told her that I was getting married, but mothers usually only still see the child in their offspring and reacted that I was too young to get married. My dad, who was two feet away lambasted my mom telling her that I was long grown up. But regardless, I knew t'hat I had found the person I was going to share the rest of my life with. I already wanted to settle down with Lilet. I just didn't know how to tell her. Business was down. All our projects crashed after the financial crisis of 1997. My mom had a massive and debilitating stroke that she didn't seem to want to recover from. Lilet's dad was also weakened by a stroke.

On hindsight, when money matters start going south, do not defer your plans. Push through as you intended, and then struggle together through the muck. I chose to do it alone, and it came to a point where I almost drowned in the muck, alone. Although we were already married, I was, for the most part, an absentee husband. Chubby, our daughter, filled the void and kept my wife happy.

As I loved photography, Chubby was always one of the subjects I regularly attempted to photograph. During her first few weeks, I took what would be one of my most iconic images; Chubby being carried and cradled by the loving hands of my wife. This image now adorns my professional calling card, and is the only photograph displayed at home. Over the next couple of years, each time I would come over to Chubby with a camera, she would turn around and let her butt face me. Each and every time. Eventually though Chubby would allow me to photograph her face.

Chubby was a gentle dog. She never knocked over anything, preferring to just gently slide beside you, or walk around things that stood in her way. She also loved to smell flowers, and occasionally, chew on leaves whenever she had indigestion. She loved the walks Lilet and I would take her whenever we could spirit her out of the condo to the academic oval of UP. Although those walks were too few and too far between, she would look forward to them. Chubby looked forward to them so much that she would actually sit in front of the door for weeks on end, just waiting for us to bring her out. And it pained me so much to see her like that. Although it was meant to be a treat, treats can still feel cruel when you see the effects it has when it is witheld. I could not stand seeing how she waited, and waited. Eventually it was UP who made the decision for us. They decided to ban dogs being taken for a walk.

My wife loved to cook for me. And whenever she had the time to do so, Chubby would sit in the kitchen for hours just keeping her company. Occasionally when Chubby would be left in the room with me while she cooked, she would stand patiently by the door, until it opened. If it took longer than 30 minutes, she would sit down, still in front of the door, and wait for my wife to open it for her. It really was unconditional love.

Eventually when we moved to the condo, Chubby immediately took to the balcony where she could view her kingdom from the elevated vantage point that royalty deserved. The balcony provided the perfect place for her to spend the day, in the shade, while waiting for her parents to come home. During one of my wife's trips to the States, I planted a herb garden for both of them by the balcony and it had basil, tarragon, and rosemary. Chubby found it the following morning, and beat my wife to it. She ate most of the leaves in the course of a week and all the plants died. I never had a green thumb but I kept planting (transplanting actually, as I would buy the plants all prepped up) and planting just so Chubby will have something to chew on when the urge arises. And the urge was usually connected to indigestion more than anything else.

As my wife's trips were getting more and more frequent, I became Chubby's de facto parent more and more of the time. Picking up poo was never my strong point, but it was something I had to do starting in late 2006. I never liked doing it but during the first time I had to do it in 2006 my wife said, “eh sino ang dadampot niyan?” Afterwards, each and every day I would pick up after Chubby and vomit during the process. But taking a passage from Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, Calvin's dad would usually say that “it helps build character”. So, each time I had to pick it up, I knew that I could change a baby's diaper when our baby would finally come. Chubby's poo helped build my character. Of course I never told my wife that. She would just hear me vomit some more and probably think that I hated doing what I had to do.

Chubby also taught me to cook. My wife will probably not have any idea about my culinary repertoire but having to prepare Chubby's meat treat every 4 days also forced me to cook for myself. During Chubby's last 10 days, I boiled beef short ribs, boiled a chicken leg, boiled a chicken thigh, sauteed beef strips, and panfried wagyu steak with olive oil, a little salt, and pepper. She loved the wagyu, and most everything else I cooked for her. The ref is still full of those because she progressively ate less and less. Each time she would eat less, I would cook up something that was better than the previous meal, but her condition was getting worse. There is still a quarter kilo of ground beef I bought sunday morning that I haven't cooked for her yet.. Chubby's unconditional love for my wife taught me to give Chubby my unconditional love as well.

During the past 9 months, I have been Chubby's only parent for 6 of those 9 months. Each day I had to come home regardless if my project was in Lucena Quezon, or Pampanga. I had to come home to make sure that she had very cold drinking water (purified, of course), and fresh warm food. Everyday. When there was a time that I was contemplating something that should not be contemplated, the only thing that stopped me was the knowledge that nobody would be there to take care of my baby, my child, my Chubby. For the last 9 months, Chubby became my reason for being, my reason for living. And I again became a much stronger person because of her.

During her last 9 days, I would actually cry out for my wife to suddenly come home back to Manila, because Chubby was not eating anymore. I knew, I hoped that my wife would be the only person in the world capable of force-feeding Chubby. I knew Chubby would only trust my wife to do something she does not like to do, but has to be done. I cried for my wife to suddenly come home because I could not anymore handle taking care of Chubby, and I knew that eventually it may be a matter of life or death. If Chubby will not want to do something, only my wife will have her trust to get her to change her mind. But my wife will not be able to come home just like that, so I took to 2-hour hand-feeding sessions with Chubby. When she got worse, I tried force-feeding her. By now, Chubby was trusting me to touch her around and below the mouth. 2 hours of hand-feeding and she would not even take a bite. Oh she did, thursday evening, eating portions of Andok's fried chicken, meat part, no skin, no spices. But she did it grudgingly. It was the last thing she ate. And she threw everything up at the balcony later. Friday morning, she was again looking for leaves to chew and I helped her to the sili plant leaves. I had tried three times in the past 10 days to raise monggo shoots for her, but the seeds were always eaten by the birds before they could grow.

2 days into her LBM, desperate at not finding her doctor's contact number, I went to Animal House in Wilson, to ask them to send a vet to check up on Chubby. They refused, as a matter of policy. It came to a point where I was already speaking in a threatening tone, but to no avail. I went home to Chubby, and found a fresh stool sample which I promptly brought to them for laboratory analysis. It was positive only for the ordinary bacteria, but negative for anything else. So they prescribed an electrolyte formula for rehydration, and an antibiotic. The rehydration was very helpful and she showed near-immediate recovery. However, the banana-flavored antibiotic was a little more tricky, as the taste of her food was more savory than sweet. She eventually became weaker, manifesting in the lack of strength in her rear knees, which slowly took away her ability to stand up, on her own. She was strong enough to walk around, provided she could stand. One time early on her sickness, as she was lying down I mopped the area around her when she decided to stand up. Her rear legs gave way as she couldn't get any traction from the newly mopped wet floor, and she gave out a weak cry of pain. I cried, thinking that my Chubby had hip dysplasia... this was a medical condition that usually affected big dogs which Lilet and I had been very scared of. So, I decided to put floor mats underneath her just so she would have increased traction, but it didn't work. She would also slip on the floor mats as the tiles didn't provide adequate friction at all.

The following day, I came home at 7pm to a very quiet house. I looked for Chubby in the sala, then in the balcony, then in the guest room, then in the kitchen. I could not find her. I looked in the last place I thought of, her bathroom. And there she was, trapped in the shower area, unable to stand because of the slippery floor after she did her business. I cried as I was cleaning her with paper towels. She was a very proud dog, and she would never let me handle her feet, her rear end, unless she knew she had no choice. I was crying as I was cleaning her because I knew that her non-refusal meant she knew she had no other choice. I cleaned her up as best I could and then we settled down to sleep. I knew that while she was sick, her sickness would be made more bearable if her surroundings were more comfortable. And while smack in the middle of the hottest summer in our lifetime, I turned on the airconditioner in the sala for her. She loved it.

That evening, she really felt very uncomfortable and spent the night trying to move around our room. Each time she wanted to move around, I would wake up, help lift her rear legs from a belt I used as a loose rear harness, and she would change positions. A few minutes after, she would bark again, and the process was repeated throughout the night.

The following morning, I spent 4 hours grooming and brushing her. 4 hours. She never lets me brush her longer than a few minutes, but that day, she just sat there while I brushed her. I even was able to brush her below her chin. And that was a near-impossible thing to do with chubby. She loved the attention. So I tried snipping off a few strands from her rear paws, to increase her traction. She let me take one snip, then let me know that that was the last snip. I also wiped away the stye on her eye that she routinely got, but it stuck to her eyelids, so I had to wait till she brushed it off before I could wipe it away. So I went back to rubbing her head and giving her a little massage. I figured out that if I could give her increased rear leg traction, then she would be halfway to recovery. The following day she did her business a few feet away from her bathroom, not even strong enough to avoid slipping on her pee. And she let me clean her again with paper towels. So, I resolved that maybe if I could find a way so that her pee doesn't cause her to slip, then her condition will not be aggravated anymore. So I decided to find dog diapers. I ended up with adult diapers which I bought sunday but never had a chance to use. I bought them after buying a second bottle of rehydration formula. I also bought her the most expensive can of dog food which was purposely designed to induce appetite for sick or recovering dogs. I opened it, left it in front of Chubby, then attempted to hand-feed it after 10 minutes. She still refused. It was around that point that I was informed where to look for her medical records. I immediately called up her vet and consulted on hospitalization, which I intended for the following day. I made a second call within one minute to ask if they had a doctor available to examine chubby and they sent one right away. The doctor advised immediate confinement, and the dreaded dog cage was brought up. While chubby was being put in the cage, the toenail in her right paw snagged and I attempted to free her paw. She hated anyone touching her paws, even if it was Lilet, so she let me know it. But I persisted, and she went for my right hand. She actually lunged at my pulse, as that would have stopped me from handling her paw. She hit me strait, but got my watch and just nicked my pulse. No skin break. I would not have taken it against her even if she bit me 10 times that day. Once she was inside the cage, I spent a minute comforting her, telling her that she needed to go to the hospital in order to get better. She was carried off by the vet and his handler. I slept uneasily that night but looked forward to paying her a visit monday afternoon at the hospital. I was expecting that she would have responded to the medication by then. But before I could leave the house, I was informed that “Chubby already expired..”.

I went to the hospital, with the heaviest of hearts. The doctor talked to me and explained what had happened. I sat in a daze for over an hour, then slowly made my way back home, to an empty home. I took off the watch I was wearing and noticed that it was much looser than usual. I took a closer look and found the clasp damaged by chubby's last bite. I was pained that Chubby's last memory of me was that she had to bite me to stop me from getting her paws into the cage. I hope she remembers the minute I spent telling her that the trip to the hospital was necessary. She will probably have wanted to have passed away quietly in our arms. But I stubbornly refused to believe that day will eventually come.

Death in the family is something that is difficult to comprehend. And no amount of practice will ever get you fully prepared for the moment. Chubby's death is made even more painful as the parents will be mourning from separate places in the world. I, in our home, and lilet, in the States. The acceptance of her passing will have been made easier had we been together when it happened.

To my dear beloved Chubby, and my dear beloved wife, I apologize for not fully showing my unconditional love, everyday of my life. I can only promise to show it more, in my remaining days. And to both of you, my only family in the world, I dedicate the song “Loving You” by Holly Cole.

And to the rest of the world, if this memoriam to Chubby has touched you in any way, please leave a message. It will help us in our hour of grief.

Unconditionally loving,

Paul Yan

ps. I have decided to go on a fast since I received news of Chubby's passing. I will only take water, like what she did in her last 48 hours with me. It will only be broken after she has been lain to rest.

Death By Heatstroke

2010-04-13T09:46:00.001-07:00

I sat beside a woman of Eastern European origins. Her features were strong, minus the brownish gold hair color common in that region. She doesn't offer an explanation, knowing that it simply would have prolonged the conversation in a direction she did not care to pursue. Instead she pulls out a camera from a rucksack on her left. I point to the window behind her. A man with a fishing pole had just started to walk back along the breakwater towards the shore; seemingly unaffected by the 40-degree heat of the summer sun. His right hand clutching the end of an empty fish basket. And that seemed to affect him more. Death by hunger was always more tangible than death by heatstroke. She glances in the direction of the window and sees the man. Perhaps she did not see the photograph of the silhouetted figure that was taking shape as framed by the window. Either that or she already knew that the image would be lost within the five seconds it would take her to set the camera to the appropriate settings, so she doesn't bother to react. Eventually she stands up and makes her way towards the window. It is her window now. I see her bathed in orange sunlight and she replaces the silhouetted fisherman in my mind. Her nationality is of no concern now. She is right after all.

A man picks up where we left off. From the table, he sees me glancing at the window to his right. He has his camera clutched and ready, anticipating the moment when my eyes would sparkle as I recognize another photograph unfolding. I see a tern, flying in the direction of the sun, and just above the horizon. He is a step ahead of me, racing toward the other window. I hear a single shutter release. He glances at me and I see the sparkle in his eyes. He pulls out a cigarette. I reach for my lighter in anticipation.

The lady in front of me has just finished assembling her camera. Although she seems to have seen the two photographs unfold, she nonchalantly takes her time. Eventually she works her way to the starboard side and I follow. She waits till the sun has dipped halfway below the hill far far away from where we were before she takes her solitary shot. My eyes do not sparkle, not quite sure of what she had just seen. She says she had just documented the death throes of the sun, at least for today. Poetic justice is what I read from her face. She had watched the moment that the sunlight died that day. Barely three days after the sun had taken a friend of hers, away.

Death by heatstroke.

Jesus Paul C. Yan

for The Paul Yan Chronicles, 2010

acknowledgements: Dol & Janneth Tenorio, Ed Casilao, Ana Murillo.

Sunset photo by Ana Murillo, April 10, 2010.

Cruising with Prestige

2010-04-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

El Nino has its advantages.

Coming from a storm-wracked season of simply massive proportions last semester, it was the first time I successfully got the Paul Yan Experience class to do a sun-kissed sunset tour in the past six months. It was also the first time I actually took photos of Manila's world famous sunset in this decade. What a difference the lens makes, indeed. Instead of the usual ultra wide angle I preferred to carry, I opted for a long tele this time, and it paid off. Lucky me. I've actually already used one of the sunset photos as a background in a glamour ad I recently did.. The participants, all 16 of them, also had their own memorable photos.

El Nino will also probably have been a significant part of the decision-making process for the "Class of 2010" of my favorite ladies school, St. Paul's College in Quezon City, when they also decided to "go take a cruise" that day. And because I had 16 photographers with me (all raring to photograph anything that moves), they'll all end up with some mighty nice souvenir shots as well.

Another thing that I also attribute to the El Nino was that for the first time in the history of doing this cruise, Abba's "Dancing Queen", korean version, wasn't sung live this time. Oh life's simple pleasures...

credits: Thank you to the captain and crew of Prestige Cruises for always being very accomodating with regard to the special needs (and wants) of my phototour participants, most especially with the blocking of vantage points exclusively for us.

Chasing The Light (Fantastic)

2010-04-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

Chasing The Light (fantastic) On the constant prodding of Emil G., regarding neutral density filters and their photographic applications to which I replied that “there were hardly any use for it, except to reduce the amount of light in a given scene”, he called my attention to a series of landscape photographs that have been fascinating him due to their apparent complexity over the past half a year or so. These water landscape photographs were mostly done with the assistance of what I surmise to be ND8 strength filters, which will enable the photographer to use shutter speeds three stops slower at the minimum ISO and lens aperture settings, thus resulting in beautiful motion trails for moving bodies of water. As jaded as I have become of photographic styles such as these (you might as well include glamour portraiture, motion-trail night shots, water drops captured on the rebound, sunsets & mystical moons, and the ubiquitous panning shots) there apparently are quite a lot of enthusiasts who are just “discovering” a fascination for images that are never seen in real life. Never, because of the way our brain and eyes perceive the images, such as water coming out of a faucet. Now everyone knows that when photographed at a fast-enough speed, faucet water never really is a continuous “stream”, but rather is just a series of drops. The opposite effect is attained when using a slow-enough speed, at night, on a busy road full of passing cars. Motion trails of yellow (headlights) and red (tail lights) will eventually adorn the scene, such as what was inadvertently photographed by Grace P., along the stretch of the North Expressway. Water trails have their own specific concerns, although the photographic technique still remains the same. Here is what I would do. 1)look at the water movement; assess how fast (or how slow) it takes for the water to get from point A to point B. 2)decide how many “movements” or “cycles” you want to capture. As the movement of ripples and waves are usually repetitive, the effect has a tendency to “build up” or “overwrite” the clarity created by a single cycle. This “building up” results in the “smoke” effect. 3)Number 2 will already dictate what shutter speed you will have to use. Meter on shutter priority using that preselected speed to get the corresponding aperture. Keep in mind that the aperture given should be treated as a “recommendation”, and may be changed by the photographer to suit their “brighter or darker” preferences. 4)Having a failed reading in step 3, first choose the appropriate ISO setting (usually the lowest), or having failed that, then finally use your ND filter to further reduce the luminance. 5)now, already knowing the choice of exposure, take a closer look at the scene, and then choose your vantage point. Motion trails work best when “there is a visual anchor that is still, over which the water gets to flow around”. 6)Level your camera. Whenever possible, use a spirit-level (the one with the bubble and the circle where you align it to) indicator to assist you in leveling. A leveled camera ensures that you do not humanly “add to the distortion” of the scene, and will correctly maximize the plane of focus. 7)Press the shutter button, in the softest manner you can. There are 2 ways I would do it. Number 1, I would trigger the shutter using the self-timer button or through a wired remote or infrared trigger. This is to avoid the physical weight of your finger actually pressing the shutter at the moment of exposure. Number 2, I would, on certain very critical occasions, first lock-up the mirror, and then trigger the shutter in the same manner such as number 1. Mirror-up shots was the norm during the medium format days especially for those who had the Mamiya RBs which had a tremendously strong mirror action. Those of us who were fortunate to use the Hasselblads had the benefit of a very good mirror damping system already which was why we could actually shoot the 'Blads, handheld, in the field. Most (I actually am tempted to say “all”) digital SLRs have very soft mirror mechanisms already owing to the redesigned mirror mechanisms that only move halfway, so I don't think there will really be a need for mirror lock-ups with DSLRs, unless you are doing microphotography, but that is a totally different discussion altogether. Oh, yes, there will always be purists who will “notice” a tiny tiny movement in their photographs whenever they don't lock-up their mirrors. But those guys really need to justify their $9,000 cameras and their $3,000 lenses, even though their biggest print has only been a badly cropped 8x10... One final word. As I have already promised Emil and his PYE batchmates Janneth, Val, & Adrian, that I will help them “chase the light” (even when the technique requires that you actually let the “light go away”) please then consider this as an announcement and an invitation for everyone in the Paul Yan Experience alumni directory to join us sometime immediately following this holy week, as we explore the technical side of photography, in a trek to wherever. Suggestions to destinations are welcome. Just make sure the trek isn't longer than 15 minutes though. :) special mention to Lhor S., for rekindling an interest in all sorts of filters, Cokin and otherwise, that might have nearly found their way into oblivion. Through Lhor, everyone else has had an opportunity to try them out including Gemma, Emon, Ines, Geoffrey, Ayan, and Louie.

Intramuros

2010-04-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

Intramuros has always been very consistent as a shooting venue. ever since I first came with my camera and two of my high school buddies, intramuros always had lots of good shooting opportunities.

from left to right: Janneth, Emil, Geoffrey, Janice, & Val.

Cuba Libre

2010-04-01T07:59:00.001-07:00

The Montecristos came with a 50-cigar humidor. Although quite unexpected, it was indeed a very pleasant surprise when I got the phone call last month from a long-time friend, that he was in town, and carrying something that he hoped I might like. He was of course referring to the Montecristos; a boxful of individually wrapped habanitos which arrived in lieu of the torpedos he had ordered for me. And how did I like it? Very much! Although I have now progressed to longer and bigger cigar sizes from the robustos I originally favored such as the torpedos, pyramids, and double coronas, these habanitos were so packed with cuban goodness that I felt it was also a good time to go back to superb quality short smokes. Thank you, Ruel Algas, my fraternity brod, photo buddy, and one-time food splurge gangmate. And oh ruel, the habanitos are "just like a fantasy..." The fat Cohiba came with two other robustos, also handcarried for me, but this time by Brian Jacobs, husband of my favorite saturday student, Lourdes. Although I never mentioned any cuban brand, Cohibas have always been aspirational for me. And as I was hearing Brian's side of the cigar story, I couldn't help but laugh when I found out that Lourdes had reminded Brian that he either showed up with the cigars or skip the Philippines altogether for valentine's! I lit up the first robusto on March 20 after fully conditioning it on my new humidor, an hour before taking my students out on the"paul yan experience sunset cruise". And even though the heat was around 34degrees celsius, I puffed that Cohiba with a contented smile on my face; a cup of starbucks coffee keeping me company through that hour, while all the time facing the bay where Spain, Cuba's colonizer too, was dealt their last defeat in Philippine soil over one hundred years ago. I bring my camera out and attempt to preserve the moment. But I opt to take another long puff instead. Ill just remember the moment in my mind, like all the other photographs in my life. Photo credit: photographed on frame 15 of a canon 7D, with a 70-200mm f4 non-i.s. lens, handheld, artificially lit, iso 3200 setting, sometime close to midnight. Thank you Ana Murillo for the super-sharp equipment. It shows. :)

Cohiba

2009-08-16T03:09:00.000-07:00

One of the most sought after cigars among the connoisseurs, Cohiba was once upon a time only found in the hands of the favored guests of Fidel Castro. Here is my second Cohiba, a 2003 special edition, which was given by Nap Venturina, a good friend in my two vices, Photography & Cigar Smoking.

Six months ago, during the edsa anniversary celebrations, I was given a "sermon" by "tito eddie" that It was about time for me to stop lighting my cigars and start learning to appreciate them in their "unlighted" state. After a hearty laugh, I said i probably will do that when i can already afford his Montecristos.

Intramuros redux

2009-08-16T03:02:00.001-07:00

This is the 3rd batch of the Paul Yan Experience photography course for 2009. From Left to Right: Ina, Willy, Gemma, Lourdes, Jhep, Grace, Jay, & Alyssa.

Hand in Hand

2009-06-23T21:36:00.000-07:00

Tony Bourdain is a strong influence on me, not with his cooking, but with his writing.

Mentioning Bobby in an earlier post without even a passing reference to Tony is unexcusable; and here is my lame excuse for not doing so. I had intended to save it for a future post, as soon as I had some more materials hopefully borne out of a personal interaction with him; which at this point doesn't look too realistic in the next 12 months.

To somehow meekly make up for it, here is a link.

http://anthony-bourdain-blog.travelchannel.com/

Asian Fusion

2009-06-23T20:07:00.001-07:00

With each passing day, globalization is changing the way we live our simple and ordinary lives.

Each day, we are exposed to influences that are foreign, which for the most part, are new and untried by us.

Globalization has allowed us to take in the best of what the world has to offer. And while the mix is often ecclectic, occasionally there will be someone who can interpret the mix of melodies and flavours and come up with a blend of something that cannot be described as one or the other, but rather a fusion of all the essences. One such person is Bobby Chinn.

For those who are familiar with him, please feel free to post your links here. If you've had the pleasure of eating at his hanoi restaurant and have a picture, please post a link here as well.

And for those who haven't heard about bobby, here is his website. http://bobbychinn.com/

A Gem Named Romitorio

2009-06-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

In a conversation about wine regions I had with my wife about 3 years ago, I came to the realization that France was the best country with regard to promoting their produce throughout the world. Having an early start on the international wine-drinking audience, France went about with a well thought out communications plan that sought to deliberately focus attention on their produce, while at the same time subtly excluding those that weren't. Perhaps the strongest example of this is the way they marketed their carbonated wine. “If it is not from Champagne, France, then it isn't Champagne.” As a marketing man from a German multinational company in my previous corporate incarnation, I can appreciate the effort that France put into their products, which has directly resulted in a top-of-mind position with the consumer, as well as a top-tier pricing position. But enough of that. Obviously there are other gems out there that do not come from France. Spain, on the other hand, produces some of the best appellations as well. Their drawback is that the Spaniards, when producing an exceptional vintage, would rather keep the secret to themselves, rather than let the world know and risk running out of the precious substance for themselves. The Priorat region has been one of the most consistent in this decade but since the production has almost always been very limited, very few people outside of Spain and North America are aware of it. The North American market, stumbling on this previously well-kept Spanish secret, has been buying most of whatever is left of the region's entire production. In fact, your best bet to find a case is probably in Canada rather than Spain. Italy, another bastion of old-world wine-making, has their wine regions separated into two major areas. The Italian wines' drawback? Produce from one region is marketed to compete versus produce from their other region. So, instead of acquiring two separate bottles, you usually end up choosing whether you prefer something grown from their mountain range, or another one from the coastal region. With Italian wine, you have to go beyond the chatter so you can concentrate on finding a gem. Very recently I was gifted a bottle of ROMITORIO from the 2000 Italian vintage by Jorge Lichauco, a wine connoisseur with an impressive selection acquired from his travels throughout the world. The label alone already gave me an inkling that I was in for a treat. The paper stock and strait-forward label design was similar to some of the better bottles my wife and I have had. Over the years, I have noticed that the better tasting wines usually sported clean and simple labels, while bottles with garish labels often contained wine with fewer nuances and a much shorter finish than you would have expected. From the glean in my wife's eyes, somehow I knew that we were opening this bottle accompanied with the usual gourmet pairing of our quiet home-cooked dinners. And as the best meals are prepared over a period of time, I can tell everyone right now that it will probably take at least a month before we actually get to the meal. Anticipating that the Romitorio will go well with a full-bodied meal, I am hoping that my wife will build it around an appetizer of seared yellowfin tuna with Yuzu sauce, as popularized by Nobu of London, and end with Osso Buco over porcini or portobello pasta.

Oh well, anticipation is always a good thing. Again, I would like to thank Jorge Lichauco for gifting me with the gem called Romitorio.

The Paul Yan Experience, 2009

2009-03-26T20:00:00.001-07:00

When i asked this year's batch whether they wanted to do the usual environmental solo portrait assignment or would they prefer a walking tour of intramuros, the answer was unanimous. here then is a downloadable screensaver for the participants of The Paul Yan Experience, 2009.

from left to right: Irma, Mike, Banj, Joney, Muna, Adan, Jorge, Isabella.

not in the photo: Geoffrey, Nhoy, June, & Gem.

intermission #4

2008-11-05T18:53:00.000-08:00

The human eye scans images from left to right, picking out significant visual cues along the way before deciding what to focus on. This photograph, taken about 2 years ago somewhere in the rice bowl of Central Luzon, will allow your eye to rest a bit, as it has been composed to keep most of the visual detail within 40% of the central image area. Feel free to take your time and browse through the detail of the farmers and their animals as they make the journey back home, at the end of just another ordinary day for them.

This never-before publicly displayed photograph was originally taken on black & white, and then digitally tinted to appear identical to hand-tinting techniques made famous by Bien S. Bautista, one of the 5 people whose visual influence is strongest on the kind of images i make.

Priorato

2008-10-01T20:35:00.000-07:00

One of the most difficult to find in Asia, wines from the Priorato region are hoarded for sale mostly in North America.

These wines are one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Spanish vino connoisseur, being among the most consistently rated (92 on wine spectator) internationally. Their charm is also enhanced by the fact that Priorato is traditionally a low-yielding geographic area.

Pictured up close is a 2002 product, which is from the lowest-yielding year of the past ten. We intend to drink this by year-end, hopefully pairing it with pan-seared foie gras.

My 12 Students

2008-09-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

They are about to finish the 12-week "Paul Yan Experience" photography course, and I have yet to fulfill my promise to publish their names on one of the publications I write for.. Here are the early mental notes of a dyslexic professor.. Miles. First guy I met in class. Took the trouble of setting up the computer for me on day one. Found out he is a varsity player for baseball. also an avid hobbyist. this early, Miles has shown his own style of portraiture which i want to eventually develop. Miles also knows how to jazz up his presentations to make them more exciting. Also has a good sense of humor. Avi. A person of contrasts. Loves fast cars, but submits a turtle photo for his first plate.. Promised to take him along when I do a Ferrari shoot. Avi loves to present a carefree image but he actually is one of the most astute, showing an excellent attention to details. He is one of the four people in charge of mounting the class exhibit. Avi has a favorite pose that he asks all his models to do. And I haven't the faintest idea why... I think Ill ask him this thursday. Xavier. Music lover. Varsity player. Sees the hand of God in the beauty of the world. Somewhat philosophical even in his music, as he plays instrumental accoustic guitar with a band I helped choose the name for. Acoutistic. cant seem to get the spelling right though.. and yeah, life will suck every now and then. sometimes life also is great and everything just works out. But knowing which one to focus on is the key to being happy and contented. I have always seen myself as a lead guitarist, but I have often gone onstage as a bassist. Turns out Im better on bass. I just never stopped to listen to myself. Wilson. The second hobbyist. he displays excellent traditional compositional techniques. i think wilson will eventually also take a more serious look at photography. I will be spending more time on him. And by the way, I misspelled his name. it should be Wilsonne, after his parents Wilson and Anne. Siebii. The bass player. That is how i remember him. I have seen pictures of his bass guitar, but have never heard him play yet. I would love to hear something, before the class ends. Turns out the bass player isn't Siebii, but Fajah! oh boy! the description was correct though. and he was kind enough to share his special Fajah Techno bass line. and it blew the class away! go ask him for permission to check out his multiply site. Even Ceferino will surely be proud. Teng. The future corps commander. he has a strong aura around him. ive talked to him about leadership and told him my experiences when i was a corps commander. Luck plays a very significant part about what happens to us. And for most of the events in my life, I was lucky to be at the right place and at the right time. Preparation makes sure that when things start going your direction, you are ready for the challenge! Paulo. seems to have excellent potential with technology. understands what a light meter is supposed to do. he is pretty deliberate about doing things. If you notice, i spelled his name the way I spelled my name. Turns out I misspelt it too. Paolo, the cool one. Luis. Takes the time to compose his images. each element is there for a reason. Luis has the ability to copy an artwork even if it was facing a different direction. To him it was just an ordinary skill. To me, it shows his cognitive abilities; about being able to see things for what they are and not for what they seem. And that is a gift. Harveen. loves graphic design. I think ill look at what he does. He hasn't the faintest idea about my graphic design background. maybe ill surprise him. I actually was one-half of an advertising agency a decade ago. hahaha. all my life i had been in art, advertising, animation, music, and design. Harveen seems to have a more than passing interest in the arts and it shows with the craftsmanship he puts into his works. Jasper. Has a grandfather who lives in Amorsolo; the place where my entire professional life revolved around. Even Jasper wasn't spared from my mixup. hahaha. It is siebii who lives in Amorsolo. Siebii, before you were born, there used to be an open creek where the Amorsolo bypass road now is. That's why the area used to be known as "Creekside". Each time it rained, the area would flood up to the knees. and during storms, the water would rise up to waist level! Yeah! And now about Jasper. He also has a gifted hand, and he shows his artistic side every now and then. He prefers to be the quiet one, letting his other groupmates bask in the light. But I know he is the guy that is in charge. And he also thinks fast. and acts fast. Andres. Enrolled because he wanted to experience the fun side of photography. today, he appears to be the most serious about learning the craft. a dramatic but very positive turnaround from the man who was the reason for my very well-received presentation about "all the wrong reasons to go into photography". And if you what to know what was in that presentation, well you better talk to anyone of my 12 students. Andres doesn't know it yet, but I am preparing a final presentation about "All the right reasons to go into photography". I have just finished compiling all the images. I hope i can do a video for them by thursday next week. wait. xavier, avi, miles, luis, paulo, harveen, wilson, andres, teng, jasper, siebii. that only makes eleven students. oh boy.................. who did i forget????? FAJAH, PAOLO, JASPER, SIEBII, I owe you guys a fine art print. I think the person I forgot will be getting a custom printed photograph from me next week.

life's simple pleasures

2008-08-25T09:46:00.001-07:00

One of the many things I am thankful for is the strong influence the French Culinary Institute has had on my wife. Her take on gastronomy has decidedly veered towards Old-World flavour and presentation since coming back from culinary education abroad. This is what we had for dinner at home yesterday. Leg of lamb encrusted with a parsley accented rub of breadcrumb & mediterranean sea salt, served with seasonal green salad with seedless grapes, blue cheese, and walnuts over a lemon tarragon dressing. The wine of choice for the dinner was a new world cabernet sauvignon. being a relatively young wine, the tannins competed quite well with the gamey flavour of the lamb. Dessert was a single 10-gram block of Nama dark chocolate infused with Henessy, which was hand-carried by the people of Royce from Japan. No, we were not celebrating any special occasion. It was just a regular Sunday dinner at home. My wife often says "who else among your friends regularly have fine-dine dinners at home?" And to this I now reply, "who among your friends have their husbands import Nama chocolate by Royce?" oh, life's simple pleasures... again.

Music From the Summer Palace

2008-07-18T00:45:00.000-07:00

Music has always had a refreshing and beneficial quality to it.

Especially for a medium such as the internet, which is multi-media enabled, music is becoming an essential partner for more and more browsing activities.

so, just to challenge the mind, let's see if a good photograph can actually get you to think of a song...

incidentally, the image is from my series "unseen details in a once-forbidden city".

My finger-lickin' moments...

2008-06-06T08:46:00.000-07:00

If there is anything I really live for, it is food. Good food. Exceptional flavours. Exotic ingredients. Blissful aromas. Funny when you realize that some of the best meals I have had were the ones I had at home. Funny, because one of the reasons why my wife and I travel is to sample regional cuisine in their own exotic locale. Funny also, because our home-cooked meals have often been gourmet delights in their own little way, but which just goes unnoticed mainly because for us it is just another private meal. And if i were to list some of the most memorable ones, this would probably land in the top ten. In terms of breakfasts, one of the best I have ever had was a home-cooked one with a couple of seriously exotic (and expensive) food items. I remember it was some time in december, about a week after i was invited by Avida Land to give a speech on the beauty of Manila, during a commemoration of their topping off activity at the San Lazaro towers, when i woke up to a blissful aroma of fried meat... Following the hugely inviting smell, I walked into the kitchen where my wife was just about to flash-sear foie gras as topping to a wagyu beef salisbury steak! So, how else do you ever top that for breakfast? (well, you top it with lots of fragrant steamed rice! hahaha)

The Impertinence of Youth

2008-06-06T07:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, we all went through it. Yes, we were once young. And yes, I never, never remember ever behaving that way. No sense of courtesy. They don't even bother to return your messages or calls. even emails. No sense of time, other than their own. No sense of responsibility. They just ignore you. Filipinos have a colloquial term for this behavior. They call it "DeadMa". Who raised you to be that way anyway? I hope it comes back at you when you are at your weakest. Let's see how you grasp at straws. To hell with you.

December moonrise, San Juan.

2008-05-31T17:53:00.000-07:00

Another Intermission.

Feel free to scroll through the details of this photograph i took in December 2007.

One of the chief causes of eye fatigue is a reduction in the number of blinks we take once we are on the computer.

Although I am sure you will be trying to figure out which buildings are featured, please try to count to five, and then blink once. then count again and blink. To help you out, the buildings are Tiffany, Jafer, LPL Goldland, Eisenhower, and Swire Elan. now, blink again.

CD-R King, the hardware version of the internet

2008-05-30T22:57:00.000-07:00

CD-R King is the hardware version of what the internet is, to the internet believers..

In relation to an earlier post about people treating the internet as a treasure-trove of all that is factual, I have met people who will actually swear by the invention or non-invention of something depending on whether they have actually seen the product in the shelves of CD-R King. actually, even I have occasionally fallen into that mold. a recent case in point. Somebody told me that there already is a 16G flash drive now. Scanning my head for my last CD-R King visit, I validated his statement. "Pero di pa tinitinda sa Pilipinas" because it still wasn't on their store shelves. hahaha.

People, myself included, may fall into this maxim. "if we do not see it being sold in CD-R King, then it has not yet been manufactured!" hahaha. personal benchmarking. a very significant pitfall from a consumer marketing point of view.

But now that we are in the thick of discussions on CD-R King, let me just say for the record that I have found most of my cheap and useless electronic clutter from that store. You know, the USB Lans, USB cellphone data cables, USB bluetooth dongles, USB soda drink coolers (yes!!!), USB coffee mug warmers, PCI this and PCI that, as well as a host of USEFULL and (dirt)CHEAP stuff I normally would not have been able to buy at the god-awful prices of those other electronics consumables stores. Let me run them by you. a Kingston 1G USB flash drive then selling at P500 just 6 months after I got mine for P4,350. (now, a 1G kingston sells for P250!) USB wifi dongles at P580 versus P1,880 at another store. LAN WIFI Routers at P1,400. Philips Litescribe DVD-R discs at P25. cellphone LCD protectors at P60. laptop LCD protectors at P250.

Oh, one other thing. Bluetooth stereo receiver headphones integrated into a pair of sunglasses for just over a thousand bucks... but then the sunglasses resemble a style I call "the Terminator Look..."

and they have finally put the 16G Compact Flash drive on their shelves for a ridiculously low price of P3,380. you wouldn't believe that we paid over 15k for our very first 1G CF microdrive...

if it's not on the internet...

2008-05-30T22:50:00.000-07:00

Ever bump into one of those shmucks who won't believe that something is for real unless they read in on the internet?? Ever since grade school my favorite pastime was reading about the biggest this, the fattest that, and the longest freaks of the animal world. way back then, the only resource I could tap for such materials was the school library. I would read all the different publications that I could get my hands on. And there was one particular book that was the ultimate authority, on print, on such subjects: the guinness book of world records. of course, I knew about it's ommissions as well, printing only what people have taken the time to report to them that they have personally verified; but I am already digressing outside my chosen topic. so, while going through it's pages, I learned about pythons, anacondas and some other monstrosities found in the deep recesses of jungles. The capybara, an 80lb. cousin of the rat, is one of the bigger meals of anacondas while pythons, who choose to live mostly at the fringes of human settlements, more often prefer chickens and the occasional dog. With the fast-diminishing rain forest, encounters between snakes and humans in the wild, although not an everyday occurence, still happen. And if it were a single human and a single large snake in the snake's territory, the snake usually will be the winning party. Now fasttrack into the internet age. I received a link sometime ago regarding a picture of a python with a huge bulge in it's body; when it was captured, the python was split open and it revealed a newly ingested human. now, the post had another link to a message board of a european car club in the Philippines, and that was what blew me away. they were arguing on how unbelievable the photographs were, and in such a rabid manner that you knew they weren't rocket scientists! among the arguments they raised was that no snake could open it's mouth big enough to swallow a human, while several very strongly insisted that they already did an internet search on it and COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING, about it; therefore it had to be FALSE. No snake could possibly do that. Nothing on the internet said so. the sad thing about it was that these were the priviledged people speaking. you would really wonder whether these guys: 1) dropped out of school earlier than their older cousins, 2) never read anything other than their eurocar manuals, 3) never understood the concept of critical thinking.

But when i discussed it one time with my fraternity brother from the University of the Philippines, Ron Taccad, he said he had already noticed that it was beginning to be a characteristic of the youth; to refer to the internet as the only credible authority. He summed up the situation like this. "People today will believe something, so long as they read it on the internet. But what is scarier, is that they will NOT believe something if they cannot find it on the internet."

His statement reminded me about something Tony Te said to me about 5 years ago. he said "the sad thing about kids today is that despite having easy access to information, they have no idea about what to do with it." he adds, "today, they have all the knowledge at their fingertips, all the intelligence, BUT NONE OF THE WISDOM."

And that is so so sad.

Contemplations in Blue, 2008

2008-05-30T09:36:00.001-07:00

Intermission. Eye fatigue is a very real problem especially in this age of the desk jockey. The normal non-stop viewing time for computer users is 120minutes before they take their eyes away from the monitor and wander somewhere else.

Here is a photograph I took as part of a series in China. Being a cool color, blue should help your eyes relax.

And if you are among the priviledged few who use an LCD monitor, then please enjoy the moment.

Eat shit for lunch. Then pizza later.

2008-05-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

Ever felt that work was all shitty stuff? And the guys dishing it out are all higher up than you? Yeah yeah.. everyone who has had a paycheck probably felt that way some time or another. But fresh out of school, fresh out of the best school your family could afford, you certainly couldn't quite get it. You know, how those incompetent shmucks ever got to where they are right now. And you, with your freshly minted and gold-stamped diploma, can't seem to get any recognition for the three reports they asked you to type. You know the feeling. You, with all your school debating experience, and the occasional high school quiz bee appearances televised over national TV... surely you're not cut out for this clerical shit. why doesn't anyone realize that? Your boss hands over the 4th report for you to retype. If you aren't cut out for it, then quit. but I guess the best advice is this. Eat shit in the morning. Then hopefully by nightfall, you would have made enough for you to go buy yourself a pizza.

Life's a Bitch. But then you realize you still have to swim in it..

2008-05-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

Of course, eventually everyone realizes that life is a series of curve balls. No beef with that. My beef lies when the curve balls hit you in quick succession, which is how it happens in real life.

Early on in my professional life, I had a freak accident which almost cost me my life. I hit a parked 10 wheeler truck in a dark spot towards the end of Coastal Road in Cavite. The collision totalled my car. The actual damage line was from the left front fender, the entire engine block, the windshield, and three-fourths of the entire right side. I was lucky to have hit the truck's rear wheels, which actually saved my life. If I collided a split second earlier my car would have gone underneath it, perhaps decapitating me. A split second later and those steel bars being transported would have impaled me at my chest cavity. And both types of death weren't exactly the way anybody would want to go...

I cleared my head trying to rationalize why it happened. A night later, trying to patch up a lesson from it, I decided on this maxim: "What does not kill me, makes me strong". As if the steel bars that were just three feet away from my chest would provide some sort of headstrong tonic of invincibility..

You would think that it was already good enough for a first and last curve ball. I thought so too. However, while driving up to Davao from Bukidnon three weeks later, a huge chunk of mountain fell on the road I was driving on. It was a huge landslide, easily over a hundred and fifty meters long. And i was just two cars back... we were rescued at 2am the following day..

So, what do you do when you get more than your share of life's curve balls? You call up your insurance agent and book as much life insurance as you can afford. Which was what I did, TWICE. the second one was actually more than double the value of the first. As a sad footnote, I ended up outliving my insurance agent. She took her life 3 years later due to depression. Life really is a bitch.